The Bonded Heir
by ProfessorChris
Summary: A different take on Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts... Republish of original story with minor edits.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Harry Potter wasn't sure when it really started but he knew his feelings for Ginny Weasley were definitely different from anything else he had ever experienced. She was no longer the baby sister of Ron. No, to Harry, she was so much more.

Now, the problem was, how would Ron react if Harry made a move on Ginny? Harry may have been slow when it came to understanding his feelings for Ginny, however he wasn't stupid. Ron always made sure to refer to Ginny as, "My Baby Sister"; or comment on what the brothers would do to anyone who even went near her, ensuring to highlight the various skills of the older brothers. Yes, Ron was definitely making things complicated for Harry, however he decided that it would be worth dealing with the six brothers if the result was he could see Ginny.

Now the only other issues was finding the courage to talk to Ginny and ask her out, he couldn't invite her to Hogsmeade as he still didn't have a signed permission slip, he just hoped that there would be opportunities to talk to her alone and start building a better friendship.

* * *

Things proceeded slowly over the next several weeks, lessons were just the same; except for DADA. Yet again they had a new teacher, but at least this time he was an old Auror and seemed to know what he was doing. In some respects he was better then Professor Lupin as he wasn't scared to teach about the Unforgivables, but in most respects, Lupin had far exceeded the new professor. However, Harry realized that he could have been just the tiniest bit biased, as he was one of his dad's best friends when they were at school.

Harry was amazed that Moody would actually demonstrate the Unforgivables in class, it was a little scary, but a good lesson for all, at least they all got to see the effects of the curses without really being in danger or so they thought. Harry was making an effort to include Ginny in of his activities as the days went by, and he was very careful to ensure that Ron didn't suspect anything. He hated to do it, but he was very careful not to defend Ginny when Ron pushed her away, even if he hated that Ron did it. He would always find a way of apologizing later and he could tell that Ginny appreciated it.

Harry offered to help Ginny with her homework on occasion, again, he was careful how he did it. No one, except Hermione, noticed that Harry was spending a lot more time in the library then before. He was very grateful that Hermione had not brought it up so far and hoped that she wouldn't.

Little did Harry realize, that Ginny and Hermione had discussed this very subject on several occasions. Hermione concluded that Harry had indeed noticed Ginny, and not Rons little sister, and was definitely trying to spend more time with her. It was also obvious that he didn't want to upset Ron. Hermione had already told Ginny of the numerous times Ron had made sure to highlight how Ginny was the baby sister and what the brothers would do about it. This just annoyed her to no end, and she promised that if Harry did ever make a move she would very quickly explain to her brothers what would happen to them if anything happened to Harry.

* * *

As had been announced at the welcome feast, the school soon became even busier as the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrived for the Triwizard Tournament.

On the evening of their arrival, the age limit was announced. Harry wasn't even listening; he spent most of his time watching Ginny. It didn't escape Hermione's attention that Harry hadn't been affected by the Veela charms of any of the Beauxbatons students. While the others made complete fools of themselves, Harry only had eyes for Ginny. She made a mental note to research this as it had to mean something.

Of course, Ron was the complete opposite and had to be told several times to stop drooling over the girls. Interesting enough, Harry and Ginny both noticed just how much it bothered Hermione, but they were nice enough to not comment on it.

After the feast, everyone disappeared back to their common rooms; most discussing the arrival of the new students or the rules of the tournament. Ron was already trying to think of ways to get his name in. Harry thought he was a fool to try, but didn't say anything. Surely he didn't think that he would be able to get past something that Dumbledore had created. It would be interesting to see what happened. Harry knew the twins were trying to come up with a way also, and he wondered if they would work it out as they were probably the most liked to succeed; if anyone could.

The next morning at breakfast Professor Dumbledore announced the Yule Ball and that it was open to all fourth years and above unless invited by an older student. The reaction around the hall was classic. All the guys were groaning 'except one'; all the girls were excited; all the younger students were a disappointed.

Harry Potter, however, was ecstatic. This was the opportunity that he was hoping for and resolved to invite Ginny as soon as they left the hall after breakfast.

Harry already started formulating a plan in his mind. The first thing he would do is invite Ginny; then he would find out if he could get dance lessons as he wanted the date to be perfect. Then he would find a way of getting her a new set of robes, and some lovely jewelry to go with it. He would ask Professor McGonagall about the dance lessons and also if she could recommend any books on etiquette about balls etc.

As soon as breakfast finished, Harry rushed out of the Great Hall. He wanted to talk to Ginny straight away, but not in the hall in front of everyone; he decided that he would wait for her outside.

Ginny looked up and saw Harry disappear quickly out of the door. She had hoped that he would invite her to the ball, but it appeared that he was desperate to leave. Maybe she had been getting the wrong signals from him. She was very disappointed but decided to not worry about it yet. There was still plenty of time.

As she got to the door however, everything change. Standing there waiting, was Harry. When he saw her he smiled at her and indicated that he wanted to talk to her.

"Hey, Ginny, do you have a moment?"

"Sure, Harry, what did you want?" she asked in a nervous voice as they walked along a deserted passage.

"I-I-I waswonderingifyouwouldgototheballwithme?" he said so quickly she could barely understand him.

"Sorry, Harry, I didn't understand what you said."

Harry cleared his throat and tugged at his collar a bit. "I was wondering if you would go to the ball with me?" Harry said in a hopeful voice.

Ginny didn't really need to reply; the smile on her face was enough to brighten any dark day. However, Harry was starting to get a little nervous after almost of minute of nothing; she just stood there not responding. He was about to ask if she was okay when she realized he was waiting for an answer.

"Oh, Harry, I would love to go with you."

"That's great, now we just have to hide this from your brothers until the day of the ball; I want it to be a complete surprise, even for them," he said with a slight air of mischief in his voice.

"Hmm, yes, I think we can do that. I don't know what you are planning, Mr. Potter, but I am looking forward to it."

"As am I; as am I."

Ginny almost floated to her next lesson she was so happy. She couldn't believe that the Harry Potter, the boy of her dreams for ever so long, had invited her to the ball. Not only had he asked her, but he had done it almost immediately after the announcement. She had to talk to Hermione about this.

* * *

Several days later, Hermione Granger sat in the library reading the book she had found about Veelas. It explained how the charm worked, and what it would do. What she found most interesting about it was the fact that it would not affect people who were truly in love.

As she was considering what this meant, she was interrupted by Viktor Krum. She had notice him coming to the library regularly, but never really gave it much consideration. However she was very shocked when Viktor asked her to be his date for the ball. She couldn't believe it; part of her felt bad as she had wanted Ron to ask her, especially when she found out that Harry had asked Ginny as soon as they left breakfast the morning it was announced. But she wasn't stupid, she wasn't sure if Ron even realized she was a girl yet, so decided that accompanying Viktor would be perfect.

* * *

Harry was now having regular dance lessons with McGonagall, and making wonderful progress. He never realized how hard dancing could be, however he was willing to endure anything if it made the day perfect for Ginny. He had already found out several useful things: like the perfect gifts to get for Ginny on the day, and what jewelry would look good. He had already ordered several items, including a lovely set of robes that were to be delivered to Ginny soon. He was a little worried that she wouldn't like him spending some much money on her, but again wasn't really concerned. She was worth it.

* * *

Unfortunately, the night of the champion selection introduced a complication for Harry. His name was pulled for the goblet, and due to the rules, he had no choice but to enter. Harry told Ron, Hermione and Ginny, that he didn't enter his name. Unfortunately, Ron didn't believe him and refused to talk to him. Thankfully, Ginny did believe him. She understood that he hated all the attention his scar gave him, and would not have wanted more.

Over the next few weeks, things were very tense for Harry. Ron absolutely refused to speak to or associate with Harry and had even started joining in with some of the Harry bashing that was going on around the school. Harry was really hurt by what Ron was doing and realized that his friendship with Ron hadn't been as close as he had thought.

At least Hermione and Ginny were still talking to him, and at the moment, that was more important to him. Of course he missed his first real friend, but decided that it was up to Ron to fix it.

Over the next several weeks, Harry continued his dance lessons with McGonagall, and finalized the plans for the day. Everything was ready. He knew the next morning Ginny's robes would be delivered during breakfast. He could not wait to see her reaction.

They were all sitting at breakfast when a barn owl swooped down and delivered the robes to Ginny. She looked at the package and wondered what it could be. She wasn't expecting anything. She hadn't even told her parents that she had been invited to the ball as that would have led to questions, and her brothers may have found out. She carefully took the note that was attached and read.

 _To Ginny,  
_ _Thank you for being my date to the ball. I hope you don't mind me getting you something special to wear.  
_ _Your date._

She carefully unwrapped the package and, inside was the most stunning robe she had ever seen. It was dark green with gold highlights. She fell in love with them immediately, and was almost giddy with delight. She just wished she could thank Harry right there for them but knew she couldn't yet.

Hermione was stunned too. She realized immediately who had sent them, but having just read the note and seeing the reaction from both Harry and Ginny, realized that they were still keeping it a secret. And who could blame them? The way Ron was continuing to act towards Harry, was nothing short of ridiculous.

* * *

Several days later, the first task had been completed. Harry was amazing. What was even better, Ron finally realized that he had been a complete git, and that Harry, most definitely, had not entered himself. The tasks were terrible, and no one in their right mind would want to be in that competition at their age. Ron apologized after the party and they quickly made up and were back on good terms again. This pleased Harry immensely. Now at least they would be friends when Ron found out who Ginny's date was.

Harry was still pretending that he didn't have a date, which made Ron feel better as he didn't either. Ron had tried to ask Fleur to the dance, but that had been a disaster. Then, to make matters worse, he suddenly came to the realization that Hermione was a girl, and proceeded to dig a deeper hole for himself by making a nasty comment when she turned down his invitation because she already had a date. Harry just groaned at his friends pathetic attempts.

The tension continued until a week before the dance. Ron was getting desperate, and to make matters worse, his dress robes had arrived. They were, in a word, gastly. He was almost considering not going but wanted to be there for Harry. Little did he know that Harry didn't need his support; he had everything taken care of.

Ron was getting despondent. With seven days to go, he was starting to come up with schemes for them to help each other. Harry had to laugh at him when he suggested they just go together.

"Sorry, Ron, I like you, but not that much," Harry had responded, causing half the common room to collapse with laughter. Ron had gone bright red at that comment, and then laughed as he realized what he had said.

* * *

The next morning, as they sat at breakfast, another barn owl arrived for Ginny. This time the package was smaller. She again took it carefully and read the attached note.

 _Dear Ginny,  
_ _Your beauty stuns me each time I see you. I cannot believe how lucky I am that you agreed to go with me to the ball. This gift seems plain in comparison to you. I would be honored if you would wear it to the ball.  
_ _Your date._

Ginny had tears in her eyes as she read the note. She never knew Harry could be so romantic. She carefully opened the package and gasped when she saw the necklace inside. For sitting in front of her was a pure gold chain with a Doe pendant on it.

It took all her will power to not jump up and kiss Harry right there. She didn't even risk looking at him as it would give it away. All the girls were amazed when they saw the gift, and sighed when they read the note. Harry knew he would be in trouble when the other guys found out who her date was; because several of the girls had very loudly proclaimed that they wished there dates were as thoughtful.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, the owl arrived again. Ginny grabbed the package and carefully opened it. Inside was a beautiful gold charm bracelet with a single fire rose attached. Ginny couldn't believe it. How did Harry know that the fire rose was her favorite flower.

 _Dear Ginny,_  
 _Another day and another gift. I hope that you like the fire rose charm. As soon as I saw it I could only think of you and your beautiful hair._  
 _Your date._

Ginny was desperate to find a way of telling Harry just how much she appreciated the gifts, but fate it would seem didn't allow her a chance. Mostly because Ron didn't leave Harry's side.

* * *

Two days later another owl arrived, this time with a large bouquet of fire roses, which had been charmed with an everlasting charm so they would never wilt or die.

 _Dear Ginny,_  
 _A rose for each week since you said yes but none can compare to your beauty._  
 _I am truly honored to be escorting the most beautiful lady at Hogwarts to the ball._  
 _Your date._

To everyone's amazement, Ron finally managed to get a date for the ball, he had tried to arrange for the Patil twins to go with Harry and himself but only one was available. He apologized to Harry for not finding someone for him, to which Harry confessed that he already had a date and had kept it secret. Ron still hadn't guessed even after that, which pleased Harry as the surprise would be much better.

The day of the ball finally arrived. The excitement around the school was at an all time high. The Great Hall had been off limits since breakfast had finished so the teachers could prepare it for the ball. Most students spent the time enjoying the snow and the fact that it was the holidays so they didn't have to worry about homework. As evening approached, all the girls that were going to the ball started to get ready. Ginny and Hermione were locked up in a room with Lavender Brown and the Patil twins who were helping them get ready.

Neither girl had revealed to anyone else who their dates were and had arranged to meet them at the entrance hall to make the surprise even better for everyone else.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Harry was brushing his teeth as he finished getting ready when he heard Ron complaining about his Dress Robes. He just smiled to himself. He knew that Ron would hate him for getting Ginny all that stuff, but to be honest he didn't care. Ginny was too special, and he loved being able to get gifts for her.

His robes matched perfectly with hers, and he even had a gold chain that had a stag pendant. The two chains were actually his parents and had been sent to him by Sirius Black, after he told him that he had invited Ginny to the ball. Sirius seemed to be excited by that and had already commented in a letter just how much like his parents they were. Harry didn't really mind being compared to them; it was an honor for him.

It was finally time to head down to the ball. Ron and Harry made their way down to the entrance hall to meet their dates, Ron was talking about Hermione being up in her room crying when he spotted Fleur standing there with her date. As normal when Fleur was around, Ron started acting like a fool; luckily Padma Patil arrived and dragged him off before he could embarrass himself too much.

As Harry waited for Ginny, he noticed that Viktor was waiting too, so he walked over to greet him.

"Good evening, Viktor, are you waiting for your date?" Harry asked.

"Yes, she should be here soon. I assume are you waiting for your date as well?" Viktor replied.

"Yes, I expect she will be down in a moment," Harry replied. As he did, he looked up the stairs and was stunned. Standing there at the top was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen; Ginny wasn't just pretty she was absolutely gorgeous. She slowly made her way down towards Harry, and she was pleased to see his reaction when he noticed her. The effort had been worth it, and the evening had only just started.

"Wow, you look amazing Ginny. Here is your last gift," Harry said as he presented her with a beautiful corsage of fire roses. She took the corsage from Harry and blushed when she thought about how much effort Harry had gone to for this evening. Just going with Harry was enough, but he had gone way beyond that.

"Thank you, Harry, these are beautiful. You know that they are my favourite flower don't you?" she asked as she took his offered arm.

"No, I didn't know that; I just liked how much they reminded me of your hair, I am pleased they are though. So are you ready to face everyone?"

"As ready as I will ever be; I am just worried about my brothers, especially Ron. You know what he can be like," she replied a little nervously.

"Don't worry about them, Ginny, I don't think even Ron is stupid enough to do anything in front of the whole school." Harry replied as they headed towards the doors and the other Champions.

Just then, Harry noticed that Hermione was standing there with Viktor. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked too. This was a side of Hermione he had never seen and was pleased to see that she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Wow, Hermione you look nice, I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when we all walk in," Harry said as they stood next to them.

"Oh, Harry, this is all so amazing, I can't believe what you did for Ginny; that was so nice," Hermione replied.

"Thank you, she is worth it all, I can't believe how lucky I am that she agreed to come with me."

"Well, it just shows that some boys are not so clueless when it comes to girls as some others are," Hermione said with a slight frown before going back to talking with Viktor and Fleur. Harry and Ginny both noticed that expression and wondered what she meant but that.

* * *

As the four champions and their dates stood outside the Great Hall talking, the rest of the students were already waiting for them inside. They were told to form a receiving line so that the champions could enter. Ginny was still very nervous; what if she made a fool of herself when she walked in. The last several months had been amazing; all the attention that she had gotten from people because of Harrys gifts, had been a little overwhelming, and she knew a number of girls had been very jealous because of them. The only other person who knew the identity of her date had been Hermione, and that wasn't a secret anymore anyway as she stopped right in front of her with Viktor Krum.

Finally, Professor McGonagall appeared and announced that they were ready. The doors to the Great Hall slowly swung open to reveal the completely transformed room. It was amazing and didn't look anything like normal. The teachers had done an amazing job converting it into a wonderful ice palace. As Harry escorted Ginny into the hall, it was clear that everyone was shocked; not only by the fact that her date was Harry Potter, but just how beautiful they looked together in their matching robes. They slowly made their way towards the head table, Harry being careful to watch his step. He was nervous too and didn't want to embarrass himself or Ginny.

The shocked looks on Ron's and the twins faces had been better than expected; Ginny was silently rejoicing that they had managed to deceive her brothers so spectacularly. She was looking forward to reminding them just how successful they had been in the future. She could tell that Ron was angry, but the twins actually looked pleased, almost as if they approved of Harry escorting her. Maybe they thought he would treat her like a sister; she certainly hoped that he didn't think of her that way.

They heard several comments, typically from the Slytherin's in the room, but didn't care. Nothing was going to ruin this night for them, not even the stupid childish comments.

They made their way to the head table; to their surprise, Percy was sitting there. They could tell he wasn't too please to see Ginny with Harry, but he had the decency not to say anything about it. Once everyone had arrived at their tables, Professor Dumbledore greeted everyone; the meal proceeded smoothly with Harry making sure to pay attention to Ginny without fussing over her. He didn't want to swamp her with too much attention and he didn't want her to feel like the odd one out.

Most of the conversation revolved around the tournament. Harry was a little worried at one point when Professor Moody commented on how many people had died in the past. With his ability to find trouble, he was bound to run into something nasty during the remaining tasks. Oh well, tonight was about having fun with the beautiful young lady sitting next to him. He would worry about the second task another day.

* * *

After the food had been served, the Champions where invited to the dance floor to begin the ball. Thankfully, Professor McGonagall has explained this to Harry, so he was prepared.

Harry took Ginny's hand and led her to the floor. She didn't know what to expect but was excited that he was at least trying. As they started the first dance, Ginny was amazed that not only did Harry know how to dance but he was actually very good.

"Wow, Harry, I have to be honest, I never expected you to be so good at dancing?" Ginny said quietly to him as they continued to move across the floor.

"Ah, well, I wanted it to be a surprise. I asked Professor McGonagall if she could arrange for lessons and she was only happy to help."

"I don't understand why you went to so much effort, Harry, not that I don't appreciate it," said Ginny nervously, she knew what she wanted the answer to be.

"Because I wanted this evening to be perfect for you," Harry replied before spinning her around. They continued to dance together for several more songs without saying anything. They were just enjoying each others company. Ginny was contemplating what Harry had said, and Harry didn't want to push to fast before telling her how he really felt about her.

Almost an hour later they both needed a break to get some refreshments, so Harry led Ginny over to the table where Hermione and Viktor were also taking a break.

"Hey, guys, how is it going?" Harry asked as they got to the table.

"Very well, Harry, how about you two?" replied Hermione.

"Great, thanks, I am just off to get some drinks," Harry said as he moved away from the table. Viktor joined him leaving the girls to chat.

"So, Ginny, how is it going? You two look so good together," asked Hermione after the boys had left.

"Oh, Hermione, it has been so perfect. Did you know that he took dance lessons with Professor McGonagall just to make the evening perfect for me?" replied Ginny with a silly grin on her face.

"Wow, I didn't know that. That is so thoughtful; he must really care about you, Ginny, has he said anything?"

"No, he hasn't said anything yet. I am not sure if I want him to; what if we get to the end of the evening and he just says, thanks for the date, Ginny, now run off back to your friends?" said Ginny very sadly.

"Come on, Ginny, do you seriously think that he would do that? Look at what he has done already for today: he got you a lovely set of robes and a matching set for himself, he gave you a very nice necklace, a charm bracelet, your favourite flowers, twice, and he took dance lessons. Doesn't that tell you something?" said Hermione almost in a jealous voice.

"Wow, I didn't even consider all that. So what does it mean? Do you think he really likes me as more than just a friend? I am not sure I could take being let down if that is all he wants."

"Somehow, I don't think that is going to happen, Ginny; just enjoy the evening and see what happens." Hermione said as the boys returned with drinks.

* * *

The evening continued in the same fashion for Harry and Ginny. They spent most of the time dancing, occasionally with other people but most of the time together. Harry and Ginny noticed a small disturbance near one of the tables and headed over to see what was happening. When the got there, they found Ron and Hermione having a massive argument.

"Hermione, don't you see that Krum is using you to find out more about Harry," shouted Ron.

"How dare you, Ron? The only time Viktor even talked about the tournament was at the table, and Harry was sitting right there," Hermione said as tears started forming in her eyes.

"Hermione, you are fraternizing with the enemy; anyway he's too old for you," replied Ron with a smug look on his face.

"The whole point of this tournament is to foster cooperation between the different schools and start building friendships," said Hermione as her anger started to rise.

"Well, we all know what type cooperation Viktor is after, don't we?" Ron said in reply. Before he knew what had happened, Hermione and Ginny had both slapped him very hard across the face.

"Just because you are jealous doesn't mean you can attack everyone else. Maybe next time you will ask me before it is too late." with that she stormed off back to Viktor.

"That's completely irrelevant," said Ron before he noticed everyone else had walked away except for a very angry Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Weasley, please return to the Gryffindor common room. As Miss Granger said, this evening is about cooperation, and we don't need your comments. Just be thankful I haven't deducted any points for your behavior."

* * *

As it started to get late, more and more people left the hall to return to their dorms. Neither Ginny or Harry noticed as the room started to empty; they were so happy dancing together and neither wanted the evening to end.

"Ginny, will you come for a walk with me?" Harry asked a little later.

"Of course, Harry," she said with a smile.

Harry took her hand and they went outside and just sat on a bench. Despite how cold it was, neither of them even felt it. They just sat and looked up at the stars.

"I love looking up at the stars at night," Ginny said a few minutes later. "I often wonder what is out there; so many different points of light, so many wonderful patterns."

They continued to sit and look at the stars, occasionally tracing a pattern with their fingers. Harry was starting to get cold and cast a warming charm over them, and Ginny snuggled in closer to him to keep warm.

Harry finally broke the silence between them. "Ginny, I wanted to thank you for coming with me tonight."

"Harry, I should be the one thanking you; tonight has been amazing, it has been perfect," she said.

They looked into each others eye's and Harry was not surprised to see the love and tenderness that shone there, however Ginny was very please to see that Harry's eyes showed just as much of those tender emotions. She could look into those eyes forever and it wouldn't be long enough.

"I knew the minute Professor Dumbledore announced the ball who I wanted to take. I have to be honest with you, Ginny." She looked a little nervous at that comment but let him continue. "I started to see you differently even before the announcement."

"What do you mean, Harry?" she was still nervous this could still go either way at the moment.

"I had a lot of time to think over the summer. Last year, every time I saw you I always thought of you as Ron's baby sister, I realized that is exactly what Ron had wanted me to think. But when I looked past that, I noticed the real you. The fun, loving, vibrant, mischievous, beautiful person that you truly are, but deep down something held me back."

"Let me guess, there are six of them?" she said with a slight smirk.

"Actually eight, if you include your parents," he replied with a smirk.

"But, yes, I wasn't sure how everyone would react. As I thought about it more, I decided that it really didn't matter what they thought; what mattered was what each of us thought. I was trying to find an opportunity to ask you out when Dumbledore presented the perfect option. That's why I didn't hesitate to ask you the same day, I didn't want there to be any chance that someone else would ask you."

"I can't deny I wasn't shocked when you asked me, Harry, I have liked you for so long and it seems funny that just as I was about to give up on liking you, you ask me to the ball. I was so nervous; initially I thought that you just wanted to get it out of the way and took the first opportunity you could so that everyone would know you had a date and wouldn't hassle you. But then you insisted that it be a secret," replied Ginny.

"And then, on top of that, you got me the robes and all the other gifts; I thought maybe you were trying to buy my affection. I wasn't sure what to think, but Hermione told me there was no way you would have written those notes if you were. She told me that there was no way someone who was desperate for friendship would have thought to write those. I started to think maybe there was a chance for more, but I had waited for so long that I didn't want to get my hopes up." Ginny said as she blushed.

"Then you told me this evening that you wanted the evening to be perfect for me, that you had gone to all that trouble for me, made me realize just how special you are. I know that you made all the other girls jealous when you sent the gifts. I know Hermione was when I told her you even had dance lessons for tonight."

"Yes, I wanted this evening to be about us, no one else, not the stupid Triwizard cup, nothing but us having a great time together as friends." As Harry said friends Ginny's heart fell, after all that he had said and done, did he still only see them as friends.

They sat there for a few more minutes without saying anything. Ginny was trying to understand; how could Harry only want friendship. Little did she realize that Harry was trying to get the courage to say the next part of what he wanted to say.

"Ginny, has Ron ever told you about my life before I came to Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Only little bits, like when they rescued you in your second year," she said clearly shocked that Harry could change the subject so easily. This was not going as she had hoped.

"I don't want to upset you by telling you what it was like, except to say that before I met your family at King's Cross, and became friends with Ron, I never even had a hug from anyone. I was never allowed to have friends; was beaten and called a freak if I did well at school, or did accidental magic. What I am trying to say is that I never experienced kindness or love, until I met your family. The first time your mum hugged me was like a dream come true. I had always felt left out, or hated, and there she was, she barely knew me and she gave me something I had never felt before. Then, over the summer, I started to realize that what I felt for you was different even from what I felt when your mum hugged me. It was deeper, more intense. Whatever it was, I realized it was good."

Ginny was speechless, what was Harry trying to tell her? Was he really about to tell her the one thing that she had always dreamed of hearing from Harry Potter, or would she suddenly wake up and realize it had all been a dream? She didn't know. She was soon pulled out of her thoughts when Harry continued.

"Ginny, what I am trying to say is that I Love You."

Ginny just sat there staring into his eyes once again. She could tell that he was being absolutely serious with her. This wasn't some random feeling or a whim, this was true love. Her heart was racing and her mind spinning, she almost pinched herself to make sure it was real. Harry Potter, the boy she had dreamed about since her parents told her the story of the boy who lived, had just told her that he loved her. She didn't know what to say or do; she could see that Harry was waiting for her to say something, she took several deep relaxing breaths before responding.

"Harry, when I first met you I already thought I loved you, but I realized later it wasn't you that I loved, it was the hero, Harry, the boy who lived. That was why I was so nervous around you at first. I had heard all about you since I was six years old. Finally, I got to meet the boy, and he wasn't anything like I imagined." Ginny said.

"I remember running after the train when I found out who you were, I wanted to see you so desperately. Then Ron didn't stop talking about you over the summer. All those adventures in your first year sounded so unreal. If it hadn't been for the fact it was my brother who was involved, I am not sure I would have believed any of it. It was almost like you were the hero, but I could tell that wasn't really what you were about. You did those things because they needed to be done and no one else stepped up to do it."

"You weren't some hero who charged in to rescue the lady in distress then she thought for a minute. well, actually, you were. No, the Harry Potter that sat at the breakfast table before my first year was a mystery. I realized as time went by, that you were so much more than the hero in the books. There was something about you; you almost seemed scared of people. Now of course I fully understand what it was. I imagine you were scared after the treatment you got from your relatives."

"It wasn't until the end of my first year, when you rescued me from Tom and the Chamber, that I realized that I was over my crush on the boy who lived. I started to fall in love with the real you, the person who risked everything for a silly little girl who wrote in a cursed diary; the boy who risked everything a year later to rescue his Godfather and Buckbeak from certain death. The person who just told me the three words I always hoped to hear from Harry Potter, and I can say with absolute certainty that I Love You too, Harry."

Neither of them realized, that as they had confessed their love to each other, a golden aura started to surround them, an aura that had not been seen in nearly two thousand years. As they sat there, Harry slowly leaned in towards Ginny and she did the same. As their lips met and they slowly kissed, a burst of pure love swept out from them, at the exact same moment, the cry of a Phoenix was heard high above the grounds of Hogwarts castle. The golden aura around Harry and Ginny continued to intensify as they kissed, several minutes later the young couple collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, the aura still surrounding them.

* * *

Back in the Great Hall, Professor Dumbledore was about to retire to his quarters for the night, all the students had left and returned to the dorms, Professor McGonagall and he had just finished cleaning up for breakfast the next morning, when a burst of pure love hit them. They had never felt anything like it before. After they recovered from the shock of what had happened, Professor's Dumbledore and McGonagall quickly moved towards the area the burst had come from. As they got outside they could see a golden aura off to one side and carefully approached. The sight that greeted them filled them with fear, for lying on the ground surrounded by the aura where Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. As they got closer, the aura flared a pushed them away.

All of a sudden, a blue and gold Phoenix flew down and settled on the ground next to Harry and Ginny. The Professors could hear the music that was coming from the bird; Professor Dumbledore had heard it on many occasions from Fawkes. Dumbledore realized that there was only one way to get any answers about this situation, and with that, summoned Fawkes. A second later, Fawkes flashed into the courtyard.

' _Ah Fawkes my friend, we seem to have a situation that I have never seen before. Can you please find out what is happening?_ ' asked Dumbledore.

' _Yes, my friend, I will find out,_ ' Fawkes answered.

He landed next to the new Phoenix, and after several minutes of what could only be determined to be a discussion, Fawkes finally took off again and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.

' _Albus, the new Phoenix is Xavier. It would appear that Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley have Soul Bonded,_ ' Fawkes explained. He then proceeded to tell Dumbledore that this had not happened in nearly two thousand years. He explained that it was a result of the pure love between them, and that one of the results was the birth of Xavier.

' _What is the golden aura around them and why can't we approached them,_ ' asked Dumbledore.

' _The bonding process is still happening. Their own combined magic is protecting them and stopping anyone from attempting to stop the process. If they did, the result would be instant death for both,_ ' explained Fawkes.

' _Xavier and I were able to speed up the process, never before has a second Phoenix been present during the actual bonding. It is an honor to witness it. Typically, the process can take several days, but as they are both still young and with Xavier's and my help, the process will be completed in the morning._ '

Dumbledore asked if they could be moved to the infirmary, to which Fawkes and Xavier agreed. As Dumbledore moved forward to levitate them, Fawkes stopped him and explained that only Xavier could move them whilst the bonding was still happening. Dumbledore then asked Fawkes to take him and Professor McGonagall to the infirmary so that they could prepare Madam Pomfrey for their arrival, and make sure that no one else was there.

When everything was ready, Fawkes disappeared again and a few seconds later return with Xavier following. Harry and Ginny were placed on the enlarged bed, and the room was secured. Fawkes and Xavier sat guard over the pair for the rest of the evening as the Professors and Madam Pomfrey left for Dumbledore's office.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the 4th year boys dorm room, Ron Weasley was becoming very annoyed. Harry Potter had secretly taken his baby sister to the ball and had not yet returned. Ron had spent three years brainwashing Harry into seeing Ginny as his baby sister, and despite all his efforts, Harry had invited her to the dance, and it was clear by the gifts that he had brought her, that it was more than just a brother/sister friendship that Harry wanted. Ron had already spoken to the twins, and they agreed, that if Harry did anything to Ginny, they would all deal with him.

An hour later, when Harry had still not returned, Ron decided enough was enough. He was going to find Harry bloody Potter and explain to him just how inappropriate it was for him to be out this late at night with his baby sister. Deciding that he needed backup, Ron quietly walked up to the twins room and woke them up.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Ron, it is two in the morning?" asked a very angry Fred.

"What is wrong with me? How about the fact that Harry bloody Potter has not returned from the ball, and the last time I saw him he was dancing very closely with our baby sister," said Ron a little louder than he needed to.

A minute later all three Weasley brothers were out of their dorm looking for Harry. They asked Ron about the map, but he told him it wasn't in Harry's trunk. They spent the night searching the castle trying to find Harry and Ginny, but without any luck. Before they went back to bed they decided to owl the remaining brothers to explain that Harry had taken Ginny to the ball and then had not returned. They were concerned what Harry may be doing with her at that time of night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 _A/N: Well, here is Chapter Three, again thank you to everyone who has reviewed. It is very encouraging that you have enjoyed the story; I hope that you continue to enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it._

Early the next morning, Professor Dumbledore contacted Arthur and Molly Weasley and requested they come to the school. Molly was in a panic the moment he had sent the message; she remembered it was the Yule Ball the previous evening and she just hoped that one of the twins had not done something stupid. As soon as they were able to, they both Flooed to Dumbledore's office to find out what was happening.

"Ah, good morning, Arthur and Molly. I am sorry to have to call you in at such an early hour, but I knew you would want to be advised of the situation," Dumbledore said after they arrived.

"Please tell me that the twins haven't done anything drastic?" Molly said with a slight fear in her voice.

"Oh no, it's nothing to do with them. No it involves Ginevra, and before you panic she is not in trouble. As you know last night was the Yule Ball, everyone had a wonderful evening. Young Ginevra appeared to have a wonderful time with her date, I even heard from Professor McGonagall that he had taken dance lessons," stated Dumbledore.

"She didn't even tell us that she was going," said Molly.

"Ah, yes, I can understand that; it was a complete secret. It appears that they wanted to make a statement. I have never seen anyone be so romantic; it was quite wonderful to witness it, and yes when they made their entrance last night the look on your son's faces, when they saw her, was priceless."

"Who was it?" asked Molly slightly worried that they would be so shocked.

"It was Harry Potter. He bought matching robes for them, and Professor McGonagall told me that he even researched proper etiquette for the dance. From all accounts he was the perfect gentleman. However, it is after the dance our story really gets interesting. It would appear that Harry and Ginny decided to go for a walk after the evening was drawing to a close. I don't know what happened after that, but I can tell you the results."

Dumbledore proceeded to tell them about the burst of love that had swept over the school, and about the birth of a new Phoenix. They were speechless when he finished. They didn't understand everything that Dumbledore had told them but knew it was very important.

"They are currently resting in the infirmary. Fawkes and Xavier are watching over them at the moment. Why don't we head down there now to see them, then we will need to meet back here to discuss some important matters regarding these events," Dumbledore suggested.

* * *

Down in the infirmary, the aura around Harry and Ginny had already started to fade; the bonding was not complete yet but very close. They were both still unconscious and no-one knew exactly when they would wake up.

' _Harry, where are we?_ ' Ginny asked after waking up, or at least thinking she had woken up.

' _I don't know, Ginny, I don't remember much after we kissed last night. I don't even know what time it is!_ ' Harry continued.

' _This doesn't look like any part of the school I have ever seen, Harry; how did we get here; more importantly how do we get back? I am sure that everyone is worried about us now,_ ' said Ginny.

' _I don't recognize this room either. I wish we had the marauder's map, that would at least help us get back to the common room,_ ' said Harry.

All of a sudden a blue and gold Phoenix flew into sight and landed on the bed in front of them. Harry and Ginny were expecting to hear music when the bird looked at them and were rather shocked to hear words.

' _Good morning, Harry and Ginny, my name is Xavier_ ' he said.

Before they could respond, he continued ' _I know you have many questions. I will attempt to answer as many as I can; the rest we will have to discover together._ '

' _Good morning, Xavier. Why can we understand you?_ ' Asked Harry.

' _When a Phoenix is bonded to his Master, they can talk to each other. To everyone else, it will sound like music; but both of you will hear words._ '

' _I thought that Phoenixes only bonded to one Master, how can we both hear you?_ ' asked Ginny.

' _Because you are bonded to each other and also to me,_ ' Xavier answered.

The shock was clear on their faces.

' _W-w-what do you mean bonded to each other,_ ' asked Ginny.

' _The two of you are Soul Bonded. After you confessed your love for each other yesterday, the bond was created; at the same moment I was born and bonded to you both. I will remain bonded to you until you have both passed on,_ ' explained Xavier. He then proceeded to explain to them exactly what had happened to them the night before.

' _Where are we at the moment? We don't recognize this room._ ' Asked Harry.

' _You are currently inside your own mind. To everyone else you are still asleep; it is part of the bonding process. You need time to adjust to all the changes that are happening to you. You can spend as long as you like here, once you are ready, you will start to wake up,_ ' explained Xavier.

' _Will we ever be able to come back to this place?_ ' asked Ginny.

' _Yes, whenever you are asleep you will come here. Most of the time you will also sleep here, but you don't have to. Your physical bodies will always need longer to rest than your minds. During those times you will be awake here. In here you will be able to train without interruption or worry that others will find out. I believe, Ginny, that this would be the perfect place for you to plan some pranks that I know you want to play on the twins,_ ' said Xavier with a hint of a laugh in his voice.

' _Wow, this is amazing, what do you think, Ginny?_ '

' _Yes, it is amazing, a little scary but I like it, Harry,_ ' responded Ginny.

' _So, what does this mean for us?_ ' Harry asked Xavier as they continued to talk.

' _Well, it means a number of things. First, it means that you are bound to each other for life; effectively you are married._ '

' _Oh no, mum is going to flip when she finds out about that,_ ' said Ginny in a worried voice.

' _I know, but it wasnt like we really had much say so over the matter. We will just have to show them that we can be mature about this and earn their trust; that we are not going to do something silly._ '

Xavier watched them as they continued to discuss what to do. In the end, they agreed that they would not consummate the marriage until Ginny was at least 16. They also decided to only tell her parents of this part; no-one else needed to know.

' _Second, because the marriage is legally recognized by the Goblins, you are now classed as adults in the wizarding world and have all the rights; you no longer have the under-age magic trace on you._ '

' _Third, you will soon learn that you basically share everything: senses, emotions, pain, sight. You have the ability to talk to each other at anytime via your combined minds. You will also discover that you can learn faster, your individual magic strength has grown, you now have the ability to block anyone from accessing your minds and read other peoples minds. You will also find that if you are touching each other and cast the same spell they will combine to create a single very powerful spell._ '

Both of them were stunned. It almost seemed like a dream, but neither of them thought that they could come up with this in their wildest imaginations, so it had to be true. They spent the next hour talking with Xavier and absorbing everything that he had told them.

* * *

Meanwhile, up in the Gryffindor common room, three very angry Weasley brothers were plotting what they were going to do to Harry bloody Potter when they found him. Hermione had just confirmed for them that Ginny was not in her dorm and it was clear that she had not returned from the previous night. Hermione told them they should try and find McGonagall and ask her before plotting Harrys death but they didn't care and told her to butt out of their family business. She retorted that they shouldn't have asked her to help if she didn't want her advice and stormed out of the tower.

"I am going to kill him; he is supposed to be my best friend. He didn't even tell me he was going to take Ginny to the ball; then he decides to take her somewhere for the night to do god knows what to her!" said Ron in a very angry voice.

The twins just looked on as Ron continued to rant; they were not a rash as he was. They were at least willing to give Harry a chance to explain what happened, if they didn't like what he told them, then they would deal with it. But, at the moment, they were not sure that Ron would even allow Harry to speak before attacking him.

* * *

Back in the infirmary, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, and Ginny's parents, were meeting with Madam Pomfrey to discuss Harry and Ginny's health. Molly looked over at her daughter, and her natural instinct was to separate them. She was too young to be embracing a boy in this way especially on a bed. However as soon as she tried to move them apart, Xavier flew down in front of her and stopped her. Dumbledore reminded her that she could not touch them whilst the aura was still present.

"They are both in perfect health, in fact I have never seen either of them in better health," she told them.

"Well, that is certainly good news. Do you have any idea when they will be awake?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, not at the moment, I don't think it will be long, but without much knowledge of this process it will be hard to say."

"Yes, that is a concern for everyone, very little is known about this process. From what we can determine, it hasn't happened for two thousand years so we have no real information to work on. Once they wake up, hopefully we can learn more about it and determine what has happened, and what to do about it. I also think that it is critical that we make sure no-one else find out about this at the moment. The last thing they need right now is to be interrogated by the rest of the family," said Dumbledore as they continued to speak.

As they spoke, the golden aura finally faded from around Ginny and Harry. Everyone seemed to relax a little more as Madam Pomfrey ran a few more tests, but they were identical to the last test.

"I guess we just have to wait for them to wake up," said Dumbledore as they watched.

Twenty minutes later they started to wake up; none of the adults were watching when it happened.

"Good Morning," said Harry and Ginny together.

The adults spun around to greet the two of them; Madam Pomfrey was soon busy checking them to make sure they were perfectly okay. She again confirmed that they were fine and no longer needed to remain in the infirmary. As soon as Madam Pomfrey had finished, Molly grabbed Ginny into a fierce hug and whispered that they would be discussing this later.

"Good Morning, Harry, Ginny, how are you both feeling," Dumbledore asked.

"We are both feeling very well, thank you; Xavier has explained to us what happened." said Harry.

"Would you mind telling us? It seems that something important happened. Xavier explained some of it via Fawkes but not the full details."

' _What do you think, Harry, I don't want them to know all the details. This is something private between us._ ' Ginny said.

' _Xavier, what do you think?_ ' asked Harry.

' _I would tell them that you are still learning about the bond and don't know much at the moment. Remember, do not mention anything about the marriage until you can speak to your parents alone,_ ' replied Xavier.

"We don't have too much to offer at the moment, Professor. As I am sure you know, now we are able to talk with Xavier via our minds, and it appears that we can talk to each other too; other than that it is all very new to us. I am sure that as time goes on we will start to learn more about it," said Harry.

As he said this, he could feel Dumbledore attempt to access his mind to see if they knew more. The look of shock on his face told him that Dumbledore had not been able to access it; it also told him that he had done it before. Harry decided to share that piece of information so that Dumbledore knew that he had detected his attempt.

"Ah, yes, Professor, that is one ability that Xavier explained to use," Harry said.

"What is he talking about, Albus," asked McGonagall.

"Professor Dumbledore just attempted to access my mind; one of the benefits of the bond is that our minds are fully protected from any type of outside access. It also allows us to detect any type of attempt no matter now skilled the Legilimens is."

McGonagall looked around at Dumbledore with a very annoyed expression on her face; it clearly told him that they would be discussing this later.

"Also, Professor, by the look of shock on Professor Dumbledore's face, I believe that he had accessed my mind in the past, but I don't have any proof of that," stated Harry.

The lack of response from Dumbledore was all they needed to realize that it was perfectly true.

"I am sorry, Harry, it was wrong of me to try to access your mind without permission," Dumbledore said and left it at that. Everyone noticed that he neither confirmed nor denied the allegations.

"Well, it is almost time for breakfast, why don't you two return to your dorms and change," Madam Pomfrey told them as she dismissed them.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey, we are sorry to be so much trouble. At least we didn't stay as long as normal," Harry said as he smiled.

Ginny took Harry's hand and walked over to her parents.

"Mum, Dad, we have lots to tell you but not right now; can we wait until after breakfast to talk," she then leaned in very close to her mum before continuing. "There are some things about the bond that we don't want to tell anyone else except for you."

Molly looked at her and could see in her eyes that she was serious about the request. She looked over at Arthur and could see that he had heard and agreed. They arranged to meet in the entrance hall after breakfast. Her parents then left with Professor Dumbledore so they could have a private breakfast with him, and the kids headed back to their common room.

* * *

Harry and Ginny walked hand in hand back to the tower; there was no reason to hide their relationship, especially as everyone had seen them dancing all of the previous night. They mind spoke all the way back to the tower, not noticing anyone else around them. They didn't even notice when the fat lady simply opened the door for them without even asking for the password.

However they did notice when Ron's fist came crashing into Harry's face. They had barely walked into the room when he started attacking. He didn't even give them a chance to say anything and continued to hit Harry. Blow after blow rained down on Harry; when he collapsed on the floor, Ron started to use his feet as well. He was in such a rage that he didn't even realize that he had started hitting Ginny when she tried to protect him. It was only when a burst of light filled the room, and Xavier grabbed Ron, that the attacked finally stopped.

Unfortunately, the damage was done; Harry was seriously hurt, and if they didn't act quickly could die. Ginny wasn't as badly hurt but was currently unconscious.

A moment later, Hermione and the twins came back into the common room to see if there was any news about Harry and Ginny. The sight that greeted them was devastating. Hermione looked over at the Phoenix that was holding a very angry Ron, who was still trying to get away and finish what he had started. Xavier released Ron so that he could start healing Harry, but as soon as he did, Ron ran towards Harry and tried to kick him again. Hermione stunned him before he could do anything else.

"We need to get help fast," shouted Hermione to the twins.

"I will go get Professor McGonagall," said Fred as he ran out of the portrait hole. George went over to Ginny to check her; she was hurt but not as badly as Harry. They didn't want to risk moving her just in case they had missed something, so waited for help. Several minutes later, a very frustrated McGonagall appeared to find out what had happened. Upon seeing Harry and Ginny clearly badly hurt, she immediately sent a Patronus to Dumbledore advising him on the situation. Less than a minute later Fawkes appeared with Madam Pomfrey. She gasped when she saw Harry, then ran the tests on him and looked very concerned.

"Harry is badly hurt, Professor, we need to get him to the infirmary immediately," she said clearly worried. They discussed how they would transport Harry back to the infirmary when Xavier flew down and flashed him directly to a bed. Fawkes, meanwhile, grabbed Madam Pomfrey. Once Harry was being treated, Xavier returned for Ginny and flashed her to a second bed.

Professor McGonagall remained in the common room trying to find out what happened. It was clear immediately that Ron had attacked them, but as he was still out cold due to Hermione's stunner, they could not ask any questions. She thanked all three of them for acting so quickly and most likely saving Harry's life.

Fawkes had returned to the headmasters office and advised him of the situation. They immediately left the office and headed to the infirmary, clearly worried about what had happened and wanting some answers quickly.

Down in the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey and Xavier were working to heal Harry. It was a slow process, but at least it was progress. A moment later, Fawkes flashed back to the room and started helping. The addition of the second Phoenix definitely made a difference. Madam Pomfrey would later confess that if it hadn't been for them, Harry would have most likely died.

It was still going to be a long road for Harry; some of the damage that had been done couldn't be fixed quickly. She knew Harry hated staying here, but it appeared that, yet again, he had no choice in the matter.

Molly Weasley had almost fainted when she saw how badly injured Harry was. She asked Madam Pomfrey what had happened, but the mediwitch just told her that Harry and Ginny had been attacked, and that was all the information she had at the moment. She then explained the extent of Harry's injuries. Molly then asked about Ginny and was told that Ginny would be fine and just needed to rest; the swelling would soon go down and there would be no lasting evidence.

Molly and Arthur sat next to the two beds watching over the two of them, they didn't say anything. A while later, Hermione and the twins appeared to see how they were doing. Molly informed them of the injuries to each, and explained that they would need time to heal. Molly then asked what happened and none of them seemed like they wanted to explain. Before she could ask further she heard movement from Ginny's bed.

* * *

Ginny slowly started to wake up. She soon realized what Xavier had meant by sharing pain as she hurt all over, and in places that Ron had not even hit her. She looked around and noticed her mum was sitting next to the bed, clearly very upset, then she noticed Madam Pomfrey running checks on her. She told her that she was going to be fine but would need at least two days of bed rest. When Ginny asked about Harry she told her that he was past the worst but had a way to go before he was fully healed.

Molly soon came over and grabbed Ginny into a hug.

"Oh, Ginny, what happened to you?" asked Molly.

"Why don't you ask your youngest son," Ginny spat out in pure anger.

"What are you talking about, Ginny?"

"When Harry and I returned to the common room this morning, Ron attacked Harry, and then me when I tried to stop him; if it wasn't for Xavier, I am sure Harry would be dead now."

Molly was seething. They had never seen her this angry before. The thought that her own son and done this, had not gone across well. Arthur suddenly appeared next to Molly and started calming her down, saying things in her ear that no one could hear. Eventually it worked, and she slowly calmed down.

Whilst this was happening Ginny suddenly started to panic, she had just noticed that she couldn't feel Harry in the bond.

' _Xavier, what's wrong with Harry? I cannot feel him,_ ' said Ginny.

' _Ginny, he was very badly injured, then when Ron attacked you, he was so angry that if he had not already been physically unconscious, he would have done anything to protect you. When he couldn't, his mind when into overload. He will be okay, you just need to re-assure him that you are okay,_ ' explained Xavier. Ginny immediately retreated into their mind to try and find Harry and talk to him. It appeared to the others that she had fainted, they suspect it was the shock of seeing Harry in the other bed.

They continued to keep watch over both of them until lunch time. Professor Dumbledore had returned to his office as he had to deal with Ron. The twins and Hermione eventually left for lunch and to tell the rest of the house that Harry and Ginny were okay but in the infirmary. They didn't mention why.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore could not believe what was happening. Firstly, Harry Potter, the boy who all the hopes of the wizarding world rested, had bonded to Ginny Weasley less that 24 hours ago, and was now seriously injured after being attacked by his best friend. Dumbledore could only conclude that it was due to the fact that Harry and Ginny had not returned to the tower the previous night, and Ron being the red blooded boy he was, didn't even give them a chance to explain.

He wasn't sure if they could repair the damage to the friendship Ron's action may cause. Maybe if it had just been Harry that he had attacked it would have been okay, but when he completely lost it and attacked Ginny, that was something that he knew Harry would never accept.

As he was considering the implications of what had happened that morning, Arthur and Molly Weasley returned. They were not happy and when they saw Ron sitting in front of the desk Molly immediately stormed over to him.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING ATTACKING HARRY AND GINNY?" screamed Molly.

Ron looked very nervous all of a sudden when he saw the equally angry look on his fathers face.

"Harry was taking advantage of Ginny mum; they were out all night doing god knows what. I was just trying to protect her honor!" said Ron in a feeble voice.

"PROTECTING HER HONOR DOESN'T INVOLVE NEARLY KILLING HARRY OR HURTING HER, I AM DISGUSTED WITH YOU."

"But they were out all night sleeping together somewhere. Why are defending Harry?" said Ron.

Arthur had managed to calm Molly down a little, but she was still fuming, especially at what Ron had implied.

"Firstly, Ronald, I know exactly where they were last night. They spent the evening in the infirmary, and no before you start suggesting that Harry hurt Ginny, it was nothing like that. Something did happen between them, but it wasn't anything bad. We don't fully understand it all yet but your father and I have spoken to both of them and will be helping them to understand what has happened."

"Secondly, do you really think Harry would take advantage of Ginny, and that Ginny would allow Harry to so so?"

"Well, he could have been taking advantage of her!" said Ron.

"That still doesn't give you the right to nearly kill him, and it most certainly does not give you the right to attack your own sister," said Arthur in an equally angry voice.

"Ronald, did you even give them a chance to explain where they had been? No! You just assume the worse and attacked them without thinking," said Molly.

Molly immediately turned to Professor Dumbledore before saying the words that would haunt Ron for a long time.

"Albus, I believe in light of what has happened, and the fact that Ron still doesn't believe he has done anything wrong, he will be returning with us to the Burrow for at least the rest of the school year."

"Unfortunately, I believe that we have no other option, as the nature of the attack and injures that were sustained by both Harry and Ginny would have required me to expel him anyway. At least now, he has the opportunity to come back next year," replied Dumbledore.

With that Dumbledore summoned a house-elf to pack Ron's belongings and bring them to the office. As they waited, Molly, Arthur and Albus discussed the ball and the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore returned Ron's wand to Molly as they were leaving. He also told them that he would send news as soon as he had it, regarding Harry's health.

* * *

News soon spread that Ron had been expelled for the attack on Harry. Of course, Draco Malfoy tried to make it sound like he knew Ron would turn on Harry one day. He reminded those around him how he had offered a hand of friendship to Harry but he had stupidly chosen the blood traitor, and now look what that got him.

Ginny had been released from the infirmary two days after the attack, but had refused to leave Harrys side. She had been able to re-assure him that she was okay, and they were once again talking in their minds. They had already discussed what happened, and Ginny informed him that her mum and dad had removed Ron from the school. They decided that despite everything, there was no point holding it against Ron, he was obviously going to be punished enough.

A week after the attack Harry finally woke up; his injuries fully healed. Madam Pomfrey was amazed. It should have taken much longer for all of them to heal. She could only attribute it to Xavier, and the bond, but no-one was complaining. After a final checkup, Harry was allowed to return to the Gryffindor tower. Once he got there, everyone wanted to find out what had happened, but he just told them that he wasn't going to talk about it and left it at that. It was also common knowledge now, that a new Phoenix had been seen around the school. There was no point in denying it, so Harry introduced everyone to Xavier and explained that he had bonded with Harry the night of the ball.

As Harry and Ginny had not been able to celebrate Christmas, they decided to spend the day with each other. They found a quiet corner of the common room and opened their presents. Harry had bought a second charm for her bracelet that represented him. It was a small lighting bolt; she carefully added it to the bracelet, and it warmed her heart when she realized that Harry had already purchased it before they had bonded. She had made Harry a scarf in Gryffindor colors. She was worried that it wasn't much but he was very pleased to get it. He told her he didn't care if it cost 1 sickle or 1000 galleons; the fact that she gave it to him and made it herself was all that mattered. They spent the rest of the day relaxing in the corner of the common room. When they weren't kissing, they were playing chess, but gave up on that when they realized they could just see what the other was planning through the bond. Dobby had arrived with lunch for them. He made a special Christmas meal for them, as they had missed the real feast at the school; they were very pleased and surprised Dobby by inviting him to eat with them.

* * *

The next morning they returned to their lessons. They had only missed a couple of days as most of the time that Harry was in the infirmary was during the holidays. It didn't take them long to catch up on the missed lessons.

Due to everything that had happened to Harry and Ginny, they had not yet had the chance to tell Mr. and Mrs. Weasley of the marriage. They asked permission to visit the Burrow on Saturday so that they could inform them. Professor Dumbledore arranged everything so that they could travel to the house and be back in time for the evening meal. The only person who knew they would be out for the day was Hermione.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The rest of the week passed very quickly for Harry and Ginny, they soon found themselves at the top of their respective classes. They attributed this to the abilities that the bond was giving them. Not only did they have each other's previous knowledge of each subject, but they found they retained any information they were given to study. Ginny soon found herself bored in lessons as she already knew everything for the rest of the year. She quickly learnt that she could focus on Harry's class whilst still appearing to take notes in her's. The teachers had noticed the difference in their work too; even Professor Snape had to admit that they where both doing better in potions. Not that it made any difference to how he treated them.

Hermione had also noticed the difference in Harry during lessons. She tried to ask Harry about it, but never found the opportunity; it seemed that since the Yule Ball he was spending most of his time with Ginny. Not that she would deny them that; she knew just how much Ginny had waited for this, and after what Ron had done to them, they needed each other. She was pleased that they were making sure to spend time with her; she did miss Ron, but agreed with his punishment and hoped that he would at least learn from it.

On Thursday morning, before they were due to visit the Burrow to tell Molly and Arthur about the marriage, they were eating breakfast when Harry received a letter. He wasn't sure who would be contacting him, until he noticed the Gringotts Logo in the corner and remembered what Xavier had said about the Goblins knowing about the bond.

He decided to read the letter later as he wasn't sure what they would say, and didn't want anyone else to oversee. He asked Ginny to meet him back in the dorm after breakfast so they could find out what the letter said. They continued to eat breakfast and joined in the general chatter around the table.

After breakfast, Harry and Ginny had a free lesson so took their time heading up to his dorm room. Once they checked that it was empty, they settled down on the bed and pulled out the letter.

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _Congratulations on your Soul Bond with Miss Ginevra Molly Weasley. In accordance with Goblin Law and the will of your parents, you are now granted access to the full Potter Estate. In addition to the will of your parents there are two other wills that need to be review. In order to complete the reading of these wills and ensure that everything is correctly transferred into your name, it will be necessary for you to attend the bank in person at your earliest convenience._

 _In addition, Ginevra has already been added to your estate, and is afforded the full rights as defined by the Potter family estate._

 _Yours Sincerely_

 _Ranok_ _  
_ _ _Manager__

They just stared at the letter for a while before either of them spoke.

"Well, that was certainly a surprise. I wonder why I have never been told of my parents will?" asked Harry.

"I don't know, Harry. I think that it is all linked to what happened to them when Voldemort died. We should go on Saturday whilst we are visiting my parents; that way we don't have to tell anyone else," suggested Ginny.

"That's a brilliant idea," he said as he leaned over to kiss her. "Ginny, have I told you recently, how much I love you?"

"No, Harry you haven't really had the chance; but I know you do and I love you too."

They returned to the common room a few minutes later and settled down on the couch by the fire. It wasn't long before they were lost in a long tender snog session that lasted until it was time to head down for their next lesson.

* * *

Before they knew it, Saturday had arrived and they were preparing to visit Ginny's parents. They were both a little nervous about telling them, but decided it was better to have the information come directly from them, rather than if they found out from someone else. The only thing that concerned them was Ron being there. They didn't want him to know.

After breakfast, they said goodbye to Hermione, and Flooed to the Burrow from Dumbledore's office.

Unfortunately, Ron happened to be in the room when they arrived.

"What the bloody hell is he doing in our house?" shouted Ron as soon as Harry arrived. As Arthur and Molly were standing in the room, waiting for them, Ron didn't get a chance to try anything before Molly stepped in front of him looking very angry.

"Harry is welcome in our house at any time, Ronald Weasley," snapped Molly.

"Even after he took advantage of Ginny. I can't believe that you would let him do that to her."

"SHUT UP RON," shouted Ginny, "Harry has never taken advantage of me. He has been a perfect gentleman, thank you very much, and just in case you forgot, if it wasn't for Harry I would be dead now. So I think that you should keep your mouth shut in future."

It was clear to everyone that the conversation was over. Molly decided it would be better if Ron wasn't in the house for the rest of the day, so sent him over to Aunt Muriel's to help her work on the house.

"I'm sorry, Harry, we hoped that Ron would act better than that," said Arthur after Ron had gone.

"Don't worry, Mr. Weasley, it wasn't your fault."

"Have you had breakfast yet?" asked Molly to change the subject.

"Yes, thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

They moved into the living room and sat down so that they could talk. They both sat down on the couch facing Arthur and Molly. Harry took Ginny's hand in his own for comfort before starting to speak.

"There is something very important about the bond that we didn't want to share with anyone else except for you; that was why we asked to talk to you separately. Unfortunately, that was delayed when we were attacked, and we haven't had a chance until today to talk to you," said Harry very nervously. He knew there was nothing anyone could do about it, but he was still worried about their reaction.

"Harry, we can tell youre nervous. We have already accepted the bond, so I am sure we will be able to handle anything else you have to say," said Arthur trying to calm him down.

"Thank you, sir. I guess there is no easy way to say this; basically, Ginny and I are married!"

They noticed a flicker of worry and sadness on Molly's face for a second before she spoke. "Thank you, for telling us; it must have been as much of a shock to both of you, as it is for us."

"Yes, it was quite a shock. The whole thing is surreal. One minute we are talking after the ball and telling each other that we were in love, and the next minute we wake up in the infirmary to find out that we are soul bonded and married," said Ginny.

"So, what happens now?" asked Arthur.

"We have had several long conversations about this since it all happened; we have both decided that we are not going to consummate the marriage until I am at least sixteen," said Ginny.

The look of relief on Molly's face was clear, but before she could comment Ginny wanted to move away from that subject.

"We are also not going to tell anyone else about this aspect of the bond until it is absolutely necessary. We are not sure how Professor Dumbledore is going to react to the news. We have also discovered that because of the marriage, we are now both classed as adults in the wizard world. This means the restriction for underage magic no longer applies. We also found out today that Harry's parents left a will. Gringotts advised us that we should visit as soon as possible to sort everything out," replied Ginny.

"Well, we can certainly understand not wanting to tell anyone, although we would recommend that you tell Professor Dumbledore. I am sure he will find out eventually and won't be too happy if you don't tell him," said Arthur.

"We are not too worried about him finding out. The last time a soul bond happened was almost two thousand years ago, and nothing was really documented about it. I guess they also didn't want to share too much. But, I promise we will consider it."

"However, he hasn't exactly been forward with me in the past, and he did place me at the Dursley's after my parents were killed, which wasn't a pleasant experience at all," said Harry in response.

They continued to chat about all the implications of what they had told them until Molly needed to get lunch ready. Molly sent them upstairs to rest before lunch as she started working on lunch.

* * *

"Arthur, what do you really think about all this? It just seems so sudden, I know neither of them planned this or even suspected anything would happen, but they are so young," said Molly with some concern in her voice.

"To be honest Molly, I don't really know what to think, it is sudden, and you are right, they are so young, but they have already made some very adult and mature decisions. The fact that they told us, and have already agreed to wait until Ginny is sixteen before they have sex, shows that."

"Arthur, we need to give them 'The Talk'. I know they promised to wait, but I just don't want to take the risk. They are both so young and don't need any added pressure," said Molly after considering Arthur's words.

"I know Molly, dear; I just never expected to have this talk with anyone except our sons, and especially not with Ginny's husband. But you are right; it is better that they know now, although we will remind them of the promise they made."

"Thank you; I know you hated doing it for the others, but at least we will have some peace of mind about it," replied Molly.

"I am just thankful that it is Harry, I cannot imagine anyone more suited to Ginny. Not only did he save her life, but the way he treated her before the ball showed that he really cares about her, and I know he would never make a promise if he didn't fully intend to try and keep it," said Arthur as they continued to prepare lunch.

"I know, Arthur, I never imagined that all those times Ginny told us she wanted to marry Harry Potter that she would actually end up doing just that. Sometimes dreams do come true," she said with a fond smile as she remembered all the times Ginny had told her she wanted to marry Harry.

Twenty minutes later, lunch was ready and they all settled down to eat. During lunch, Harry told them that they would like to go to the bank that afternoon and sort out everything; that way it would not raise any questions as to why they needed to leave Hogwarts again. Arthur agreed with them and arranged everything so they would have plenty of time to sort out what they needed before they had to be back at school.

* * *

After lunch, Arthur took Harry aside to talk to him.

"Harry, I wanted to firstly welcome you to the family officially. I know you didn't have any control over the situation. I also wanted to say how proud I am that you were able to make such a mature decision in regards to consummating the marriage," Arthur said as they sat down in his study.

"Thank you, Sir," Harry replied.

"Call me Arthur or Dad, Harry, you don't need to be so formal now," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, Arthur."

"So, Harry, there is something else I need to talk to you about. Normally your father would have done this but, given the situation, that is not possible, so I guess it falls to me to do it," Arthur said as he started to look uncomfortable.

Harry had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had a horrible feeling that he was about to get 'The Talk' from his father-in-law. And the feeling was confirmed as Arthur proceeded to talk to him.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Ginny did not escape.

"Ginny, how do you feel about all this?" asked Molly after they had finished the dishes.

"Oh, mum, you know I have liked Harry since I was six years old. It is like a dream come true; it really is. At first I thought it was just a dream, but now I know it is real, and there is nothing we can do about it anyway. Not that I would consider it for one second," she said with a smile.

"It just seems so sudden. I know you have liked Harry for a long time, but still you only went on one date. Even if Harry made it perfect by his actions, it was still the first date and now you are married," said Molly with a little sadness as her only daughter was married at thirteen.

"I know, mum, but the only way we could have bonded and Xavier be born is if it was true love. Harry and I share everything now, and I know he truly loves me and he knows I truly love him."

Suddenly Ginny blushed as they were talking. Molly noticed and asked what happened.

"Oh no, please tell me dad didn't just start giving Harry 'The Talk'," she replied as she blushed again.

Molly got up from the chair and took Ginny to the study. There was no point in doing this separately due to the bond, they both would know what was discussed anyway.

When the girls got to the study, Harry was relieved as he really didn't want to have this discussion. However, Ginny and he were soon mortified when Molly and Arthur proceeded to give them both 'The Talk' at the same time.

"Now we know that you promised to wait until Ginny was sixteen, but we both felt that you should at least know the basics and how to protect yourself just in case something happened," Molly started. At several points during the talk one or the other would blush even more when the other would make a suggestive comment about what had just been said, earning them a mental slap. An hour later the talk was finally over and they decided to get out of the room as quickly as possible.

' _Argh, I can't believe that they just did that,_ ' said Ginny as they left.

' _That was the most embarrassing thing that I have ever had to deal with. I am sure that it is bad normally but to have the talk with both of your parents, oh man, I just hope the twins don't find out,_ ' replied Harry as they went outside to cool down.

' _Oh well, I guess we should have expected something like that after our announcement. At least we won't have to ever deal with that again,_ ' said Ginny as they walked around the back garden.

' _True, of course now they have made it much harder to wait until you are sixteen, but we did make a promise,_ ' Harry sighed.

' _Yes, we did, and I know that we will honor that promise, we both care too much about what they think to break it; which is a good thing really, it will just make much more special when we do,_ ' replied Ginny with a smile as she flashed a mental image to Harry that made him blush Weasley red.

' _Witch,_ ' was all Harry could say in reply.

' _Yes, but your witch,_ ' replied Ginny as she ran away.

' _I will get you back for that, don't you worry,_ ' he said chasing after her. Twenty minutes and one tickle war later they both returned to the house to get ready to visit Gringotts.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Harry, Ginny and her parents entered Gringotts and waited in line to be served. When they finally arrived at the counter Harry asked to speak with Ranok. The Goblin lookup up in surprise as it wasn't normal for a Wizard to ask for a Goblin by name. Once he spotted the scar he realized who was asking and quickly escorted them to an office where Ranok and another Goblin were waiting.

"Welcome to Gringotts, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. I am Ranok, the branch manager, and this is Griphook your account manager," Ranok stated when they entered the room.

"Thank you, Ranok, this is Arthur and Molly Weasley, Ginny's parents," Harry said.

The six settled down at the conference table so that they could get started.

"Mr. Potter, in order to proceed with the reading of the will we need you to submit a sample of blood so that we can verify your true identity," explained Ranok as he got up and presented Harry with a vial.

"Please, call me Harry," he answered as he took the knife from the table and made a slight cut in his hand. Once the blood had been verified they both sat down again and Griphook produced a will pensive.

Harry looked on in shock as he parents appeared before him.

"This is the last will and testament of James Potter and Lily Potter; we verify that we are of sound mind and soul at the time this was recorded in the presence of Ranok and Griphook of Gringotts Bank."

"Hello, Harry, at the time of recording this you had just turned one, we are sorry that we could not be there for you as you grew up. Most likely Voldemort got to us, even though we were in hiding. There are a number of things that we need to say to you. Some we have left in the family vault here at Gringotts, the rest we will explain to you now."

"First, we made it very clear that should anything happen to us, then you were to go live with Sirius Black, and failing that Remus Lupin. We hope that our wishes were followed but would not be surprised to find out they were not."

"Second, we decided at the last minute to switch secret keepers. Everyone expected it to be Sirius Black, however we knew he would be a prime target, so instead we used Peter Pettigrew. We never told anyone else about the switch."

Harry asked if they could pause the play back. Ranok tapped the pensive and it stopped.

"Ranok, is it possible to get a copy of that part of the will, as you know Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban for betraying my parents, as well as the murder of Peter Pettigrew and thirteen Muggles. This will prove that he wasn't the secret keeper, and we happen to know that Peter Pettigrew is still alive?"

"Yes, Harry we can make a copy after we have finished," replied Ranok making a note of the request.

The recording proceeded.

"Harry we don't know how much Professor Dumbledore or Sirius have told you, but before you were born a prophecy was made. This was the reason that we went into hiding. There were two children that it could have applied to; Professor Dumbledore suspected that it applied more to you than the other child, so suggested that we go into hiding. As you are hearing this now, it means that most likely we were betrayed."

They proceeded to tell Harry the complete prophecy, as Dumbledore had told it to them, it was clear from what had happened to him that he was indeed the one but only because Voldemort himself had chosen him by trying to kill him.

"Before we disclose the details of the will, there is one final thing we want you to know. You have a soul mate Harry. I saw it just after she was born. We have written a letter to her which is in the family vault. Once you find her, you will be able to give her the letter; before that it will remain sealed."

Harry looked over at Ginny and smiled; he had already found his soul mate and couldn't be happier that it was Ginny.

"We have left everything to you, Harry. Griphook is our account manager and will be able to give you a full accounting of what you have. There are also a large number of shares both in the Muggle and wizard world. Your grandfather thought it wise to invest in both, that way, should one economy fail, the Potter's would not be as badly affected."

"There is a final secret that we never shared with anyone. There are two necklaces which hold Stag and Doe pendants. These were our Animagus forms but more importantly, the pendants are actually voice activated Portkeys. One is for you, son, the other is for your soul mate. Once you have activated them using a sample of your blood, they will be bound to you, they can never be removed. There are three commands; the first is 'Home', this will take you to Potter Castle which we have never told anyone about. The wards placed around it make it more secure than Hogwarts. We would have used this to hide if Dumbledore had not insisted on placing us at Godric's Hollow, and we did want to keep the location secret. The second command is 'Other'. The pendants are linked and they know where the other is. The final command is 'Hogwarts'. This will take you to the castle directly to the headmasters office, but you can update it to take you to another location if you wish."

Harry and Ginny were amazed. They immediately activated the pendants so that they would always have a way of escaping should anything happen.

"Harry, we want you to know that we love you, and are sorry that we could not be there for you as you grew up," they both said as the recording ended.

With that Harry was suddenly overcome with tears as the years of grief and loss overwhelmed him. Ginny quickly rushed to his side to comfort him as Xavier flashed into the room and began to sing to him. Twenty minutes later there were no tears left. He had never before acknowledged just how much he missed his parents, mainly because if he had ever tried, the Dursley's would have beaten him and would have told him that his parents were worthless.

' _Thank you,_ ' Harry said.

' _Harry, you never have to thank me. I will always be there for you, especially when you miss them,_ ' replied Ginny as they both sat back down at the table.

Griphook then produced a summary of their accounts for Harry and Ginny to review. They were surprised by the number pages, but once they saw the summary on the front page, they were speechless.

 ** _Potter Estate Summary_**

 _Trust Fund Vault - Total Worth - 100 thousand galleons 'replenishing'._ _  
_ _ _Potter Family Vault - Total Worth - 2.1 billion galleons.__ _  
_ _ _Gryffindor Vault - Total Worth - 25 billion galleons.__ _  
_ _ _Merlin Vault - Total Worth - 46 billion galleons.__ _  
_ _ _Share holdings - Total Worth - 1.4 billion galleons 'estimate based on current exchange rates for muggle shares'__

 _Summary doesn't include any valuation for other holdings including Potter Castle, House at Godric's Hollow, Jewelry and other priceless items contained in the vaults listed above._

"Wow," was all they could say when they saw the summary.

"Harry, you are by far the richest wizard on the planet. The vaults of Merlin and Gryffindor have not been touched since their deaths. They specified in their wills that they were to remain sealed until their true heir, bonded to his soul mate, arrived." Griphook explained.

"This is way more than I ever expected. What am I supposed to do with all that money?" asked Harry after he recovered enough to speak.

"I would recommend that you keep it exactly were it is, we currently manage it for you, and as you can see it has been very profitable so far," responded Griphook.

"Thank you, Griphook, I agree to keep everything under your control, is there anything I need to do to keep you as the account manager?" asked Harry.

"No; I will remain as the account manager for as long as you desire it, Mr. Potter," replied Griphook.

"Thank you, Griphook, I do have one question relating to the trust fund account. Before I turned eleven, someone else had the key to the account; has anyone else ever accessed it and made a withdrawal? Also, can I get a list of who still has access to the account?"

"I will look into that for you, Harry. I don't have the details at the moment," answered Griphook.

"Thank you; is there anything else we need to do, or can we go down to the vaults?"

"You just need to complete paperwork to transfer everything to your name; then we can proceed," responded Griphook.

As they were signing the papers, Harry noticed one of particular interest. It appeared that he was the major shareholder in his Uncle's company. He asked Griphook to investigate the company and see if there was anything suspicious happening. He wasn't going to do anything unless evidence was found of wrong doing, but he wanted to be sure. Griphook agreed, and immediately setup a Muggle/goblin investigative team to look into the company and the books.

* * *

Once they had completed the necessary paperwork to transfer control officially, they made their way down to the vaults. After another hair raising trip on the cart, which the kids enjoyed immensely, they arrived at the very lowest levels of the banks maze of passages.

"These are the oldest and most secure vaults in the bank. You will only be able to enter if you are proven to be the true heir. Anyone else will be instantly transported to Azkaban." Griphook explained as they approached the Potter Family vault.

Harry had to give blood before they could enter, once inside they couldn't believe how big the vault was. There was a mountain of gold so high that you couldn't even see past it; there was jewelry and other precious items lining the walls of the vault, including clothes, armor and weapons. A library of books on one side caught Harry's attention as they walked around. After noticing a number of books on subjects that he really wanted to learn more about, he decided to get a trunk he had seen earlier. He filled it with books on Animagus, Potions, Dementor's, Charms, Defensive and Offensive spells. He made a note to return in the summer and examine the complete list of books.

Next, Harry found a jewelry box that contained three rings. The note indicated that these were his parents. There was an engagement ring and two wedding rings. Harry and Ginny decided to use the wedding rings but made them invisible to everyone but themselves. They were not sure how they knew the charm, but it worked perfectly as neither Molly nor Arthur could see them, or even detect the charm or the rings.

' _We are going to have to work out what that Charm was and how we did it,_ ' said Harry as they continued to look around.

' _I know; that was very cool, I wonder if it linked to the actual rings?_ ' asked Ginny.

' _Hmm, that's a good point. Thinking about it, we really didn't do anything other than an invisibility charm. That would explain why they cannot be detected. I am sure there is something here about it in one of these books. We can look during the summer when we have more time,_ ' responded Harry.

' _True, we should move on. It must be getting late, and if we don't return in time to the school, Dumbledore will want to know why we are late._ '

They quickly looked around the rest of the vault and Harry found several journals that, upon review, belonged to his parents. He added these to the trunk of items that they would take back to school and study later. As they were getting ready to leave the Potter vault, Molly noticed a small box that contained two letters: one addressed to Mr. Harry Potter, the second addressed to Mrs. Ginevra Potter. She handed the letters to each of them and they decided to read them later too, when they were in private. They had suffered enough embarrassment for one day and didn't know what the letters would contain.

Once they had finished in the Potter Family vault, they entered the Gryffindor vault. This was even larger than the previous vault and contained a similar array of items. Harry found several more books that he added to the collection they had made. The most interesting item they found in the vault was a complete map of Hogwarts including all the hidden areas. They realized that there were many places that not even the twins had found. As they studied the map, they found a place called The Founders Study. They decided to investigate further, and if it was suitable, would use this as a place to study in private. They placed the map into the trunk with the other items.

Finally, they entered Merlin's vault. This was even larger than the others and again contained a vast array of items; the most significant was a pensive which appeared to be full of memories.

Along side the pensive was a note.

 _To my true heir,_

 _If you are able to read this then you have been proven to be my true heir and you have already bonded with your soul mate. I don't know how long it has been since I departed on my next adventure, but I knew before I did that one day my true heir would be bonded as I was. To help you both better understand the power that the bond will give you, I have placed all my knowledge in this pensive. I caution you to keep this knowledge secret. People will want to study the bond and try to find out more about it; they don't seem to care that it is personal and if you start to share, it will never end, believe me._

 _You will find contained in this knowledge, the power you will need to defeat the growing darkness that I have foreseen. Thousands of years before even my time, a prophecy was made. We have determined that the prophecy is for you, my heir._

 ** _A time of great darkness will descend on all creatures of the earth. An evil who seeks immortality will gain power through the inaction of our kind, and deceit of evil, the weak minded will bow before the evil, and it shall make the minorities outcasts in their own society. A chosen one comes with the power to defeat this evil, bonded for life he and his mate will bring peace and will once again unite all the creatures of the earth._**

 _Yes, my heir, you and your wife are the ones spoken about in this prophecy. I hope that the knowledge I have given you will help you to train. Don't be ashamed of your power as you will need it in the end._

 _Merlin_

The four of them were stunned. This, with the previous prophecy that his parents had told him about, meant that Harry and Ginny had been chosen to defeat Voldemort, and the irony of it all, was that Voldemort's own actions had guaranteed that they would win in the end. They both realized at once that this knowledge in the wrong hands would be very dangerous. They encourage Molly and Arthur to learn Occlumency as soon as possible, to avoid anyone finding out, Griphook and Ranok made an oath to never reveal what had been disclosed to them.

Harry decided that adding all the memories from Merlin at once may be a very bad idea so they took the pensive with them and secured it in the trunk. They would slowly add the memories as they studied, ensuring that they don't overload themselves when they did.

Once they had finished in Merlin's vault, Harry shrunk the trunk and placed it in his pocket. As they left they noticed that they had to return back to school, so called upon Xavier to flash them back to the burrow so they could return straight to Dumbledore's office and not be late.

Harry and Ginny returned to the castle and quickly made their way down to dinner. They didn't want to talk to Professor Dumbledore and were grateful when he didn't ask them any questions. The knowledge that his parents had wanted him to stay with Sirius or Remus was still fresh in their minds, and they knew that Dumbledore had been responsible for placing him at the Dursley's.

Hermione was pleased to see them when they got back. She wanted to ask questions, but could tell that they were not ready to answer any of them at least not in public. She had missed spending the day with them; since Ron had left, they were really her only friends. She had spent the day working on her homework and reading in the library.

Later that evening, after everyone else had gone to bed, Harry and Ginny agreed to get the map and see if they could find the Founders Study they had seen in the vault. They knew the entrance was close to the Gryffindor common room, but were not sure exactly where it was. After about forty minutes of searching, they were about to give up when finally Harry found something. He looked around and finally worked out that there was a hidden entrance.

As he approached the entrance, a bowl appeared on front of him; to the side was a message.

 _Welcome to the Founders Study. Entry will only be granted to direct heir's of the four founders and those they select. To enter place a sample of your blood in the bowl and you will be judged. Only those worthy will be able to pass beyond this door._

Harry knew that he would never have been able to enter Gryffindor's vault if he wasn't worthy, so wasn't worried when he cut his hand and placed a sample of blood in the bowl. The door to the room soon opened. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand so that they could enter together, he wasn't sure how the selected part worked, but decided that if they were together then Ginny should have no problems. They were soon standing in a room larger than the Gryffindor common room.

They were too tired to explore that evening so decided instead to just read the letters that had been addressed to them from Harry's parents. They settled down on the couch in the center of the room with Ginny sitting in Harry's lap. Ginny was very interested in how they seemed to know who Harry would be married too.

They started with Harry's letter and read it together.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _If you are reading this then I am sorry to say that we have passed on. Please don't be sad for us; it was our time. We just hope that we took Voldemort with us, or did some real damage before we left. Harry, we are not sure what will happen to you when we are gone, we have asked Sirius to watch over you. Originally he was going to be our secret keeper, but we decided at the very last minute to change to Peter Pettigrew as he would be a less obvious choice and hopefully will give us more time._

 _We will update this letter each year. We just celebrated your first birthday this week and decided as we had to go into hiding that we wanted you to have some information about us. By now you will have already heard our will; there isn't much we can add to what we said there. We hope that you were able to find our journals in the vault. We encourage you to read them; there is a lot of information there, and they are protected so that only you and your soul mate can read them._

 _Potter Castle is your home now, Harry. Unfortunately, we were not able to use it due to our involvement in the war. We did consider hiding there after the prophecy was made, but it would have meant revealing the secret of its location. At the time, we suspected a traitor in our mist. It has been well maintained and very secure, even more so than Hogwarts._

 _We are sorry we are not there to help you, Harry, but please know that we never stopped loving you and are watching over you now._

 _Love_ _  
_ _ _Mum and Dad__

Harry was in tears; Ginny turned around to gently hugged him as he continued to cry. She was definitely his strength at the moment. Once he had settled down a little, they proceeded to read the second letter.

 _Dear Ginevra,_

 _I am sure you were very surprised to find a letter addressed to you in Harry's family vault. As we said in the will, Lily had a vision just after you were born that lead her to believe you would bond to Harry. We didn't know when it would happen, just that it would. We don't know what kind of life Harry had growing up; we hope that we were there for him but if not we hope that he was with people who cared for him and loved him._

 _Harry is going to need your love and support. It is no accident that you were brought together. I just pray that he is able to return the love that you have for him._

The writing on the letter changed as it appeared someone else had started writing.

 ** _Don't be frightened to put Harry in his place. If he is anything like his father he will be stubborn and will need a reminder of who is really the boss. And if you are anything like me he will know what is best for him and obey you._**

 ** _Please take care of our baby and one day provide us with lots of grandchildren._**

 ** _Love_** _  
_ _ _James and__ ** _Lily Potter_**

Harry smiled as he finished reading the letter. What with Ginny's parents giving them 'The Talk' today, and now his parents encouraging them to give them lots of grandchildren, it seemed they were all obsessed with the same thing.

They decided to relax on the couch after reading the letters. Ginny snuggled closer to Harry and enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her.

' _I could stay like this forever,_ ' she told him.

' _Yes, I think I could too. It's funny really, I was so nervous about asking you to the dance and wanting it to be perfect, then here we are two weeks later, married._ '

They snuggled for a while just thinking about what had happened over the last two weeks; it had not been easy but the benefits were far better than any problems they had dealt with.

' _So, Mrs. Potter, it appears that you are the boss. What do you suggest that we do now?_ ' Harry said a while later.

' _I suggest that you kiss me goodnight, Mr. Potter, then we can get to sleep as we have a lot of reading to do tomorrow. I want to learn to become an Animagus._ '

Harry didn't need any further encouragement as he leaned in to kiss her; they spent the next hour kissing and cuddling on the couch before falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Harry and Ginny woke up the next morning wondering where they were. When they remembered, they had found the founder's study the previous evening, they then remembered relaxing together and must have fallen asleep in the room. They just hoped that no one had noticed them missing. They looked at the time and decided to continue to explore the study before heading down to breakfast. There were a number of doors leading from the main room; one lead back to the corridor near the Gryffindor common room but they were not sure where the others led. They decided to explore each one later. For now, they were content to look around the main room.

They soon realized that this room would be a perfect place for them to study. As the parchment had said only the heir of a founder could enter the room, so there was no risk of them being disturbed. They would just have to be careful not to spend too much time there, otherwise others would get suspicious. Of course the fact that they were now dating made it easier, as they could just say they were off having some time alone.

Harry pulled out the shrunken trunk that he had been carrying since their visit to Gringotts. Once it had been enlarged, they organized the contents so the books they wanted first were at the top, while they were going to leave the trunk in the room, they were still going to lock it just in case.

As they still had a little time before breakfast they decided to take a look at what was behind one of the doors, they found a library. It wasn't as large as the main library in the school, but they could see that it contained books that would never be found there. They also discovered a portrait for each of the founders in the room. As they approached, Godric Gryffindor woke up and greeted them.

"Welcome to the founder's study, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Godric said as they stood there gob-smacked.

"Hello, Sir," they both replied.

"I see that you found the map in my vault, I have been waiting a long time for you to come."

"Yes, sir, we found the map. It seemed to be telling us to come here as this room was highlighted when we first looked at it," explained Harry.

"Yes, Harry, the map is linked to my portrait and the castle, when you found it, I highlighted this room so you would find it. It will only ever work correctly for you and Ginny. To everyone else it will just appear to be a map of the known parts of the castle. I believe your father created a similar map when he was at school here," replied Godric.

"Yes, he did sir, but it was not as complete as this map, but it did show the location of everyone in the castle which was very useful when sneaking around or playing pranks on others," answered Harry with a smile.

"As does your map Harry, if you cast 'Populous' on the map it will reveal all the occupants of the castle. You can cancel the Populous mode by casting 'Finite'."

They both looked at each other and the smiles on their faces grew as they suddenly realized just how useful this map was going to be. It was far more detailed than the Marauder's map.

"Thank you, sir, we will be sure to make good use of this map," Harry said with another smile.

"I certainly hope you will, Harry. We can't have the heir of Gryffindor not making use of the resources at his disposal can we?" responded Godric with a laugh.

"No, we cannot," responded Harry.

"Well, I believe it is time for breakfast. You don't want to be late do you?" Godric said and then promptly went back to sleep.

Harry and Ginny just laughed and headed back into the main room. After locking the trunk, they headed down to breakfast.

After an uneventful breakfast, they returned to the study, to make a start on the memories that Merlin had left but realized that they were not sure what to do. Harry took out the Pensieve and placed it on the desk. Harry then noticed a small parchment attached to the side. He carefully removed and unrolled it. As he did, instructions started appearing before him. The instructions explained how to select the memories and what to do with them once selected. Harry carefully reviewed them again to make sure he understood, before proceeding. Below the instructions was a complete list of the memories.

They selected a memory and, as the instructions had said, it rose up above the other memories. Harry carefully picked it up with his wand and placed it against the side of his head. As he did, they felt a strange sensation as the memory was incorporated with their mind. As soon as the process was complete, they could see all the information about the spell, it was as if they had read it from a book and memorized it.

The first spell they had selected was a shield. They expected it to be like the ones they had learnt in DADA classes. However once they reviewed the memory, they soon realized it was much more powerful than that. Merlin had invented the shield himself, and due to the nature of the shield, it was only possible for bonded couples to cast it. Originally Merlin had thought that they would have to be in contact to cast it; he later learned that it could be cast separately, as long as both attempted to cast it at the same time. He also discovered that they didn't even need to be in the same place; they just needed to focus on where the shield was required.

As they continued to review Merlin's memory, they discovered that there were two modes to the shield. The first allowed any spells that hit it, to be absorbed and was basically unbreakable; the power that was absorbed would strengthen the shield. The second mode allowed the spell to be reflected back on whoever cast it. This shield would only last as long as both casters were still able to maintain it. To switch modes, they just needed to focus on the type of shield they wanted and it would change.

The incantation for the shield was 'Impenatego'. When in absorption mode, the shield would be gold, and the more power it absorbed the brighter it would get. When in reflection mode, the shield would be silver, however, it would remain the same brightness regardless of how weak the actual casters were becoming.

Harry and Ginny spent the morning practicing the shield. At first, they found it very hard to change modes, but after some practice, were able to control it as needed.

Before they realized it lunch time had arrived. They finished up the shield practice and headed down to the Great Hall. They met Hermione as she came out of the library and continued down together. They spoke to several of their friends during lunch, most of them had enquired as to where they had been the previous day. They just told them that they needed to talk with Ginny's parents because of everything that had happened with Ron. No one wanted to discuss it further, so they soon continued about their regular conversations. Harry noticed that Neville was talking with a girl from Ravenclaw. He had seen her around before, but didn't realize that Neville knew her.

' _That's Luna Lovegood, Harry. She lives near our house. We were good friends until a couple of years ago when her mum died; then she became a little weird,_ ' explained Ginny.

' _What do you mean, weird?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Oh, she always goes on about these weird, magical animals that no one has ever heard of,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Oh, I see._ '

' _It is quite entertaining sometimes but we sort of lost contact,_ ' Ginny said with a sigh. She had missed her friend - especially when all the boys had left for Hogwarts.

' _Well, I am glad that Neville is getting to know her,_ ' Harry responded.

' _Yes, me too._ '

Once lunch had finished, Hermione told them that she needed to go back to the library and finish her homework and would meet them in the common room before dinner. This gave Harry and Ginny the perfect excuse to disappear again, so they headed back to the study to review another memory; they were also planning to start reading the books on Animagus that they had found in the vaults.

Once they had settled down again at the desk, Harry was busy looking through the list of memories while Ginny was retrieving the Animagus books. Harry found a memory about wandless magic and they decided they would like to learn more about it. They were not sure if they could do it, but had seen Professor Dumbledore use it on occasion, and thought it would be cool to try. It could also be very useful if they ever found themselves in a situation where they wands were lost or broken.

Once the memory was absorbed, they were able to fully review the information. They realized that it would require a lot of practice and focus to be able to do it, but they were willing to try. They tried something simple to start with. After a while, they were able to levitate some simple objects and found that they didn't need to say the incantation, as long as they focused on the object and said it in their minds, it would work. Realizing just how useful this would be they, focused on the summoning spell 'Accio' and also their Merlin shield wandlessly and wordlessly.

Two hours later, they were able to summon smaller objects; most importantly, they were able to summon their wands. They also found that they could generate the Merlin shield, but could not maintain the reflective mode for long. They soon found that they were exhausted by doing wandless magic, however suspected that the more they practiced, the easier it would get, and the stronger their spells would become. They resolved to practice as often as possible but to limit wandless magic to the study unless it was an extreme emergency.

They took a break from studying by continuing to explore. They found several other rooms that appeared to be bedrooms. They also discovered that there were exits near each of the main common rooms. Once they had finished exploring, they sat down together on the couch and grabbed one of the Animagus books. After reading for a couple of hours, they called it a day and headed back to the Gryffindor common room.

When they got there Hermione had just returned from her dorm room, she looked exhausted and didn't say anything to them. They guessed that it was the stress of doing all her homework. She always seemed to have more than anyone else but they couldn't work out how. They knew that last year she had taken every class that she could, but she had dropped some of them this year so shouldn't be as busy.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" asked Ginny as she came up to them.

"Yes, just very tired, I have been busy with homework recently and haven't been sleeping as well as normal," she replied.

"You need to take a break, Hermione; why don't we got outside after dinner and relax for while," offered Harry.

"I really should get my homework finished," she said.

"Well, why don't we spend some time outside, then we can all come back and finish off our homework," Harry said as they headed out of the common room.

"Okay, that sounds good, as long as we don't spend too much time outside," she said.

They continued to talk as they headed down to the Great Hall. It wasn't long before they were digging into their food and relaxing. Thankfully, nothing much happened. They had been surprised that none of the Slytherin's had made comments about their relationship, not that they were complaining, but they were also not stupid and knew that it would come at some point.

After dinner, Harry, Ginny and Hermione headed outside and spent an hour having a massive snowball fight. Unfortunately for Harry, the girls decided to gang up on him and made sure that he didn't get a break. They worked very well together so that when one was making new snowballs the other was throwing them.

' _You will regret this, young lady,_ ' said Harry after twenty minutes of constant bombardment.

' _Only if you can catch me, Mr. Potter,_ ' she said as she disappeared towards Hagrid's hut.

Harry chased after her and soon caught up with her as she fell in the snow, but before he could do anything, Hermione had caught up with them and started attacking Harry again.

"Thats hardly fair! I am going to get you back, Hermione, youd better start running," he said as he started walking towards her with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Only if you can catch me," she told him as she turned to run away, however she wasn't fast enough and he quickly caught her. This time he was able wrestle her to the ground and proceeded to cover her with snow. Ginny soon joined them and all three of them were soon covered. A while later they headed back inside so they could finish their homework.

They quickly finished their homework and prepared their bags for the next day, having used so much energy that day they all decided to head to bed early, agreeing to meet for breakfast in the morning.

Harry kissed Ginny goodnight and headed to his room, and the girls headed upstairs together.

"So, Ginny, how is it going with Harry?" Hermione asked as they got to Ginny's room.

"Really well, Hermione; it has been so wonderful," responded Ginny with a huge smile.

"I am so pleased for you, Ginny. I know you have liked him for a long time, and finally you got your hearts desire," she said with a little sadness.

Ginny noticed it and realized that Hermione wasn't so much interested in how her relationship with Harry was going. She realized that despite everything she had liked Ron and was missing him.

"You miss Ron don't you?" asked Ginny.

Hermione looked up in shock but then sighed. "Yes, I do. I know he got what he deserved, but it doesn't mean that I don't miss him."

"I didn't realize you liked him that much, it was more than just friendship wasn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, I think it was. Originally I thought it was just because he had been one of my first real friends, but I soon realized it was more. I have always seen Harry as a brother and was never attracted to him like that. But with Ron, it wasn't until he left that I realize that I was missing him very much," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Hermione, I'm sorry; I really didn't realize just how much you liked him. Have you thought about writing to him and seeing how he is doing? I know Harry won't be upset if you do," said Ginny.

"I will think about it. I am still not happy with what he did. That is why I have been so busy; Ive been researching to see if there is anything that can help him better control his anger."

"Well, if you need any help, we would be happy to help you. I know Harry misses Ron too; unfortunately, it is going to take a lot for their relationship to ever be as good as it was before he attacked me. Harry would have been fine if he had just attacked him, but as soon as he touched me, then it changed everything."

"I know, I am actually surprised that he has been so good about it; you definitely have helped him to come out of his shell. Normally he would have been brooding over it for a long time," Hermione finished.

They continued to talk for a while longer about boys and other girl stuff.

Harry decided to take a look at the map before going to bed to see what was going on around the castle. When he got to the DADA teacher quarters, he found something very strange; there were two dots on the map, both with the same name. He wasn't sure what this meant and decided to talk to Godric Gryffindor in the morning.

He put the map away and soon fell asleep. A little later, Ginny joined him in their mind. They talked a while about Hermione and decided that they would include her more. She had been a good friend to Harry over the years. She was also very smart; the only problem would be sharing information. They decided that she would need to learn Occlumency before they would share too much.

Harry told Ginny what he had seen on the map while she was busy with Hermione. She agreed that it was strange and that Godric may know what it meant.

The next morning they both woke up early and headed to the study to talk to Godric before meeting Hermione for breakfast. They entered the study and approached Godric's portrait.

"Good morning, how are you this morning?" asked Godric.

"We are well, thank you," responded Harry.

"You look like you have a puzzle for me?" asked Godric.

"Yes, Sir, I was looking at the map last night and noticed two dots in the DADA teacher quarters, the strange thing was they both had the same name," Harry said as he showed him the map.

Godric took one look at the map and immediately jumped into action. Before they could react, they felt the castle come alive, and additional wards snapped into place; they also noticed that a red perimeter appeared on the map.

"What is happening, Sir," asked Harry.

"You need to tell Professor Dumbledore about this immediately; there is an impostor in the school. I will explain more later, but in the mean time please advise the Professor that the school is secure and no one will be able to leave. I would suggest that you ask Xavier to flash you to his office. There is a portrait there; once the impostor has been dealt with, activate it and I will explain everything to all of you," explained Godric before he disappeared.

Harry summoned Xavier and they both grabbed his tail feathers and disappeared from the study.

Professor Dumbledore was sitting in his office preparing for the day ahead; it was Monday morning and he hoped that it would be a quiet day. The only real concern he had at the moment as the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. He just received a list of the people who would need to be rescued from the lake during the task and was concerned to see that Ginny Weasley had been selected for Harry. He wasn't surprised that it was her after what happened at the ball, but still he knew that Harry would not like it, especially if anything happened to her. He also didn't know how the bond would figure in the tournament; would Harry be able to get to her quickly because of it or would he be affected when they placed her into the enhanced sleep whilst under water.

As he considered all the possible scenarios, an alarm went off in his office, and he felt the anti-portkey wards snap into place. He knew that the school had many additional layers of protection than were currently being used, but he had never known the school itself to activate them; he didn't know what to make of this situation.

A moment later, the answer came when Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley appeared in his office with the assistance of Xavier.

"Harry, do you know what is happening?" asked Dumbledore as soon as they arrived.

"Yes, Professor we do, this map was recently given to me. It once belonged to Godric Gryffindor. I was reviewing the map last night and noticed two Professor Moody's in his quarters, I wasn't sure what to make of it so this morning I spoke to Gryffindor's portrait and he told me come here immediately and tell you," Harry explained.

Dumbledore looked at Harry in surprise for a second; he wanted to know how Harry had come upon the map, and more importantly where he had access to a portrait of Godric Gryffindor. However, this was not the time for such questions; he would have to wait until later to find those answers.

"Harry is the map still working?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, Professor, there are still two dots on the map, one is in the DADA quarters still and the other in the Great Hall," replied Harry.

They immediately left the office and headed down to the Great Hall, as they walked, Dumbledore sent a Patronus to Professor Snape asking him to join him outside the Great Hall immediately and bring some Veritaserum with him. He also sent a message to Professors McGonagall and Flitwick to search the DADA quarters to see if they found anyone hidden there.

When they arrived outside the Great Hall they saw that Professor Snape was already waiting for them.

"So, you finally decided to listen to me about that brat then; I will be glad to administer the Veritaserum," Snape sneered as he looked at Harry.

"No, Severus, the potion is not for Harry. He is here because he just brought a matter of great concern to my attention; it appears that we have two Professor Moody's in the school at the moment, and we need to get to the bottom of this," answered Dumbledore.

"What are you talking about, Headmaster; what rubbish has Potter told you now?" answered Professor Snape.

"It would appear, Severus, that either Professor Moody can be in two places at the same time, or we have an impostor in the school."

"And you suspect that the Moody in there is the impostor?" asked Snape.

"Yes, that would be the most logical answer; however I have already sent Professors McGonagall and Flitwick to the DADA quarters to find out; as soon as they let us know what they find, we will proceed," responded Dumbledore.

Harry opened the map again and silently cast the populous charm on it so they could see what was happening in the Great Hall, Professor Moody was still at the head table.

Suddenly, a silver cat appeared and told them that they had found the real Alastor Moody in a trunk, and they also found a large supply of Polyjuice potion hidden in a cupboard.

Dumbledore instructed Harry and Ginny to wait just inside the door whilst they dealt with this, he didn't want them involved any more. The professors then proceeded towards the front of the hall with their wands drawn, most of the teachers had noticed this but only a few students, they had never seen the headmaster like this and wondered what was happening.

The impostor was starting to get concerned. He had noticed earlier when the anti-portkey wards went up around the castle, but at the time didn't think anything about it. However, it now it appeared that Albus Dumbledore, leader of the light and the most powerful wizard alive today, was making a bee-line for him. He wasn't going to go down without a fight, but wasn't sure what his odds would be. Deciding that whatever happened he was a dead man, he might as well do some damage before leaving.

With that he suddenly jumped out of his seat and cast a killing curse at Dumbledore. Before Dumbledore could react, Fawkes suddenly appeared in the path of the curse and took it for him. During the disruption, the impostor had managed to cast a disillusionment charm on himself and disappeared; they all knew he couldn't leave the school, but they couldn't see him. Harry still had the map open and could see that he was trying to get to the nearest exit. Before he could warn Professor Dumbledore, another killing curse flew towards the headmaster; he quickly dodged it and cast a stunner towards where the impostor had been standing.

Meanwhile, the other professor's quickly got everyone else out of the Great Hall, via the main doors so that they would not be hit.

Harry could see that the impostor was moving behind Dumbledore, so both he and Ginny sprinted down the hall so that they would be closer, and would be able to help by telling Dumbledore where the fake Moody was on the map. As they got closer, two more killing curses travelled towards the Professor. He was able to move out of the path of the first one but they realized he had not seen the second one. They knew the only way they could stop the curse was with their Merlin shield. Harry and Ginny jumped in front of Dumbledore and cast it as quickly as they could, with only moments to spare, they managed to get the shield up and it absorbed the spell.

The fight didnt last long, the impostor had been so surprised that the curse had been stopped by a shield, that he gave his position away and found four stunners heading towards him before he could react.

Dumbledore cancelled the disillusionment on the impostor and they made sure that he was secured; they quickly woke him up and Snape administered the Veritaserum. They discovered that it was actually Barty Crouch Jr. who had been pretending to be Moody since September; he also told them that he had placed Harry's name into the cup and made sure that his name was selected. Dumbledore sent a message to the Ministry advising them that they had captured a former Death Eater who was supposed to be in Azkaban. A while later, Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt arrived at the school and took him away.

Dumbledore asked Harry and Ginny to join them in his office as they needed to discuss what had happened. He sent a message to Professor McGonagall asking her and Professor Moody to join them as soon as they were able. He asked the other Professors to make sure all the students were told what had happened and that classes would resume as normal except for DADA and Transfiguration would be cancelled until after lunch.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Harry and Ginny made their way to Professor Dumbledore's office. When they arrived they realized that they didn't have the password and were settling in to wait when the Gargoyle moved out of the way to allow them access. They thought that maybe one of the other Professors had turned up, but when they couldn't see anyone, just proceeded up the stairs. When they got to the office they, quickly found the portrait of Godric Gryffindor, and, as requested, activated it. He soon appeared and congratulated them on capturing the impostor.

"Thank you, sir," said Harry.

"Godric, before the others get here something, strange just happened. When we got here, the Gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmasters office just moved out of the way for us, and now we think about it we have not had to use the password to get into Gryffindor tower since the bond," Harry said.

"Ah, yes, one of the benefits of being my heir Harry; the school will respond to your commands. The portraits know who you are now, so they will also respond to you differently. You will get use to it but it can be very useful too. Just think of it as your own personal spy network. There are hundred's of portraits through out the school," he said with a grin.

Suddenly Harry and Ginny grinned as well; the possibilities were endless. They were already planning how to make use of this when they heard voices approaching.

"I asked them to meet us here, Minerva, I don't know why they were not waiting downstairs," Dumbledore said as he entered the office.

"Where do you think they are Albus, they didn't return to the Gryffindor common room," she suddenly stopped as she saw them standing there.

"How did you get in without the password?" asked Dumbledore.

Before they could respond Godric Gryffindor spoke.

"You know perfectly well how he was able to get in, Professor Dumbledore; did you really think that Harry would not find out who he really was?"

Dumbledore was speechless; in all his years at the school he had never been able to activate the portrait; suddenly here it was talking to them.

"Of course, it all makes sense now; I was wondering earlier when he told me that you sent him to find me after discovering the impostor on the map. That was why the school wards changed wasn't it?"

"Yes, Professor, it was. Harry asked me this morning about it and as soon as I saw the map I realized something was wrong. I told him to come here and once everything had been sorted out, activate this portrait as only an heir could," responded Gryffindor.

"I see, and may I ask where Harry and Ginny were able to speak to you?" asked Dumbledore.

"You may ask, Professor, but we are not going to answer that question. There are secrets that even the headmaster of the school is not given. I can guarantee that you will never be able to find out either. The founders made sure that unless an heir decides to reveal the information no one else will be able to reveal it or discover it."

Harry felt the familiar brush of Legilimency on his mind as Godric continued to speak.

"DONT YOU DARE CONTINUE," shouted Harry all of a suddenly looking very clearly at Dumbledore.

"We warned you last time never to try that again, we will not forgive you next time," said Ginny.

Gryffindor and McGonagall looked angrily at Dumbledore. It was obvious what he had tried to do, he quickly relented and apologized.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione was walking back towards the Great Hall to find Harry and Ginny when she was suddenly attacked from behind. Before she could do anything, a large pair of arms had grabbed her and dragged her into an empty classroom. She wasn't sure what was going on, but soon realized that Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe were the ones that had attacked her.

She heard Malfoy say something and point his wand at the door, she realized that he had just sealed it so no one could enter, or hear what was happening.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" shouted Hermione.

"Shut up, Mudblood, we are going to teach Harry Potter a lesson for interfering with our plans," said Malfoy as Crabbe and Goyle held her still.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy, and what has that got to do with me?" asked Hermione suddenly very scared.

"We are going to send him a message that he won't be able to ignore," said Malfoy as he got closer to Hermione.

She started to tremble as Malfoy walked up to her, she didn't like the way that Malfoy was looking at her and started to realize that he was planning.

"W... what are you going to do?" she said in a weak scared voice.

"We are going to demonstrate to him what will happen to his little girlfriend if he messes with us again," said Malfoy as he grabbed her blouse and ripped it open.

Hermione was crying now as Malfoy started to rip the rest of her clothes off.

* * *

Back in Dumbledore's office, they were continuing to talk about what had happened. Harry and Ginny had explained about the new shield they had learned about, and how it only seemed to work for bonded pairs. They were careful to avoid saying anything about how they learned of it. Before they could say anything else, Xavier flashed into the office.

' _Harry, your friend Hermione is being attacked,_ ' he said.

"Professor, Xavier just told me that Hermione is being attacked, we need to go and help her immediately," Harry shouted as he and Ginny grabbed Xavier's tail feathers and disappeared.

Seconds later Xavier returned for Dumbledore and McGonagall and brought them to the same room.

"So, Mudblood, do you want to know what a real man can do?" asked Malfoy as he continued to remove her clothing.

She was hysterical by now; she had never imagined this would happen to her, and was completely repulsed that it was Malfoy.

Before he could continue, however, a flash of fire brought Harry and Ginny into the room. In an instant, three stunners flew towards them and knocked them out. Moments later Xavier returned with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry and Ginny were already at Hermione's side.

"We stunned them as soon as we arrived, Professors," Harry told them.

"Well done, we will deal with them in a moment; how is Miss Granger doing?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"She is okay, just a little shaken up, we got here before they could do anything physical to her," replied Ginny.

Professor McGonagall repaired her clothes so that she could go to the infirmary, however Hermione was too upset to walk so Ginny took hold of her and Xavier flashed them both and then returned for Harry and Professor McGonagall.

"How is she?" asked Harry when he got there.

"She is going to be okay," Ginny answered in tears.

"She told me that they wanted to send you a message for interfering with their plans and that next time it would be me!"

Harry took her hands and comforted her, he poured all his love through the bond and she quickly calmed down.

' _I won't let that happen if I can help it,_ ' Harry said.

' _I know, Harry, but still it isn't fair on any of us,_ ' said Ginny.

' _As soon as Hermione is able to do Occlumency we are going to train her is some of the advanced stuff we are going to learning, next time she will be able to completely kick their butts._ '

' _Thank you, Harry, I think she will like that._ '

Hermione was soon released from the infirmary and the three, escorted by Professor McGonagall, returned to the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore had sent the three students to his office, and a message to the Auror's. As he waited for them to arrive, he decided to leave them stunned; as he really didn't want to deal with this. He knew that he would have to, but to think three students would attempt to rape another was unbelievable. He had so hoped that Draco would turn out better than his father, but he could see it was a lost cause.

Dumbledore was pleased to see that once again Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt had been sent, they were both members of his Order of the Phoenix so he could have an open discussion with them.

"What the hell has my cousin done now, Albus?" asked Tonks as she entered the room.

"I am afraid that he and his friends attempted to rape Miss Granger, a friend of Harry Potter's. We were, however, able to stop them before anything truly regrettable happened. Unfortunately, due to their age, we cannot use Veritaserum on them. There is also the matter of Mr. Malfoys father; the last thing we need is Lucius Malfoy causing trouble. We also need to take into consideration that we do not know how well protected Mr. Malfoys mind is, and again, don't want to risk it.

Dumbledore watched as the Aurors revived the three students and explained the charges. There was absolutely nothing that Malfoy or his friends could say; they had been in a sealed room and were obviously attacking Hermione. Also, when Dumbledore tested their wands, he found that it was Draco's wand that had sealed the door. After the Aurors had finished, He then proceed to tell them that they were expelled from the school, and he handed their wands to Auror Tonks, who promptly snapped them in half.

"You stupid bitch; father will make you pay for that - family or not," shouted Malfoy.

"I'm not afraid of your father, Draco; just because you are not man enough to stand up to him, doesn't mean everyone fears him," she responded in a bored tone.

"You will be singing a different song once we have finished with you," he said.

"We will see, Draco, we will see," said Tonks as she placed the restraints on Draco for escort to Azkaban.

Once the three of them were ready, Tonks pulled out a portkey and activated it, all five of them disappeared.

News soon travelled around the school that Malfoy and his goon's had been expelled for attempted rape; thankfully no mention of Hermione was made. Strangely, the attack had a very positive impact on the school. Most of the hostility between the houses disappeared. It seemed that Draco Malfoy had been using his father's money and influence to make life difficult for his fellow Slytherin's if they didn't agree with his stance on things.

Now that he was gone, Blaise Zabini who had always been in the shadows stepped up and took control of the house. He was from a well respected neutral pure-blood family, one that didn't believe in all the pure blood supremacy.

The next morning, Hermione was waiting for Harry and Ginny; she just didn't want to walk around the school on her own at the moment. She was also curious to find out what had really happened in the Great Hall as the story from the teachers seemed to leave a lot out, and it didn't explain why they were there. As they walked she started asking questions.

"Hermione, we cannot explain everything yet, but after dinner tonight we will take you somewhere that we can talk," Harry said.

The day seemed to drag on for ever. Harry and Ginny were both bored in their classes, and Hermione was way too excited about talking with Harry that evening to even focus on the lessons. Finally, after dinner, the three of them made their way up to the Gryffindor tower; however, instead of going inside, they continued past the portrait and appeared to walk into a wall. Hermione was amazed when they continued to walk without hindrance; the wall and the next thing she realized was that they were standing in a large room.

"What is this place?" she asked as they entered.

"This is the founder's study, Ginny and I found it after we returned from the Burrow on Saturday. It was built by the founders for their use whilst they were still at the school. Only an heir can access the rooms," Harry explained.

"But, how where you able to find it then?" she asked looking confused.

"I am the heir of Godric Gryffindor, Hermione," Harry stated.

To say that Hermione was shocked was an understatement. It was the first time that Harry could remember that she was actually speechless. Harry and Ginny settled down into the favorite seat and offered a seat to Hermione. Once the shock of Harry's news had passed, she sat down and waited for them to speak.

"Hermione, what we are about to tell you must never be revealed to anyone, do we have your word on that?" Harry started.

"Yes, Harry, I will never tell anyone, I promise," Hermione said. As she did, a flash of light surrounded her and then disappeared. "What was that, Harry?"

"You just made a wizard's oath, Hermione, it means that you cannot tell anyone even if they forced you to," Harry got up and went into the library. He returned a few minutes later with a book about Occlumency.

"Hermione, before we tell you everything we need you to learn Occlumency, it will allow you to stop people from accessing your mind without your permission. Unfortunately we recently learned that at least one Professor has used it on students before; of course he was never expecting to come across students that could detect and block him."

Hermione took the book and promised to work on it right away.

Harry and Ginny proceeded to tell Hermione what really happened after the ball, and about the bond, they only gave the information that they had already given to Dumbledore, just in case, and promised to reveal more once she had mastered Occlumency. They did tell her about the Shield Spell that they had found. They decided to leave the wandless magic for later as they didn't know what she would say and didn't want anyone else to find out about that yet.

The three of them continued to talk until curfew; just before they went back to the common room, and bed, Harry placed a charm on the book, so that only she could read what it actually said, to anyone else it would just be a book on charms. He explained that he didn't want anyone to even suspect that she was learning to block her mind.

They returned to the common room and then headed off to bed. Harry gave Ginny a goodnight kiss and wished Hermione a good night before going to his room.

Harry and Ginny were soon asleep in their rooms; Hermione was still absorbing everything they had told her. She finally fell asleep but had a nightmare about what Malfoy had tried to do to her.

* * *

The next evening, Harry, Ginny and Hermione returned to the study; Hermione immediately settled down at the desk and read the book on Occlumency. Harry and Ginny took the Pensieve into the library to find another memory to absorb. As Harry looked through the list, he noticed something called the Knowledge Transfer Spell. He decided that this looked interesting so selected it. As before, the memory was soon absorbed into their minds. They realized immediately just how useful this would be, and after careful review, returned to the main room. They explained to Hermione what they had learned and asked if she minded them trying it on her. The memory had made it clear that it would not hurt the recipient as long as they only attempt to transfer one memory.

Hermione looked a little scared but agreed to let them try. It took several attempts before Harry was able to get it to work correctly. Once he did, Hermione was amazed they had chosen to give her all their knowledge of Occlumency. She now understood all the concepts and how to make it work.

"Hermione, you should now understand Occlumency," Harry said.

"Yes, it is as though I have fully read the book and memorized it," she replied in awe.

"Yes, that is exactly it; the knowledge on its own will not help you protect your mind however, but you now know how to do it and just need to practice it. That is how Ginny and I learned the Shield Spell; once we had the knowledge we just needed to practice and were able to get it to work correctly," Harry said.

They could see that Hermione was already lost in practicing what she had learned. They realized that it would not be long before she had it mastered. Harry and Ginny returned to the Animagus book they had started, they soon realized another benefit of the bond, they had finished the book in record time and remembered every detail. They spent the rest of the evening reviewing the information. They had learned that they would need to brew a potion to reveal their animal form, then they would need to practice the transformations and most critically, they knew how to undo anything, should they make a mistake.

They decided that only one of them would practice at a time so that the other could fix any problems that arose, it would take longer to complete, but at least they would not have to worry about telling anyone else. They would also transfer the knowledge to Hermione once she had mastered Occlumency. When they reviewed the instructions for the potion, they discovered that they didn't have everything they needed, and they didn't want to risk taking anything from Snape.

Suddenly, Ginny had an idea, "Harry, what about Potter Castle, do you think there would be any potion supplies there?"

"I don't know, Ginny, it wouldn't hurt to go and have a look around, we can go on Saturday morning while everyone else at Hogsmeade," suggested Harry.

"That sounds great, Harry, but how will we get back, the portkeys will take us to the castle but I don't really want to return to Dumbledore's office?"

"We can ask Xavier to return us here when we have finished, that way no one will even know we left," Harry responded.

The rest of the week went by quietly. All three of them spent time in the study. Hermione already had a basic shield in place and could hold off an attack for a couple minutes before getting too tired.

"Well done, Hermione, that is very impressive after such a short amount of time," Harry said after she had held him for over two minutes.

"But you still were able to get in," she said a little sadly.

"Yes, I was, but it took a lot of effort; most people wouldn't be able to hold anyone off after only a few days of practice. The more we test you and you focus on building your defenses, the stronger it will be."

"Thank you, Harry," she said as she gave him a quick hug.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" said Ginny as she returned to the room.

"Actually, darling, there is, I have decided to run off with Hermione. I am sorry, I hope you don't mind," said Harry in a dead serious voice.

"Oh, that's okay then. I thought for a minute you might be cheating on me, but if you are just running away with her we should be okay; just don't do anything naughty," she said as they all burst out laughing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

On Saturday morning as they were eating breakfast, Hedwig arrived with a copy of the Daily Prophet. On the front page was an article about Malfoy, claiming that he had been framed by Harry Potter, and that the charges were all false. Crabbe and Goyle had backed him up all the way and told everyone that they were tricked into going to the classroom, and as soon as they got there, Hermione Granger had started screaming rape and Professor Dumbledore had expelled them. Minister of Magic Fudge had officially pardoned them, and informed the Prophet that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle would be allowed back in school once the board of governor's had been contacted and the necessary paperwork completed.

The three of them were furious. How could they get away with this? But of course they knew exactly the answer to that question. Mr. Malfoy had most likely bribed Fudge and threatened the board as he had done during Harry's second year.

They continued to eat breakfast deciding that as they were going to visit Potter castle that day, they didn't have to worry about Malfoy, at least until he came back. They hoped that he would not have the same influence in Slytherin as before, but weren't holding out much hope.

After breakfast, they said goodbye to Hermione in the common room. They were not able to go to Hogsmeade and had decided to spend the time studying. However Hermione needed to get some supplies so arranged to go with Neville and Luna. Soon Neville and Hermione left to find Luna. Harry and Ginny left for the study before activating their portkeys and heading to Potter Castle.

* * *

In Dumbledore's office the senior staff were having there weekly staff meeting, when an alarm went off on Dumbledore's desk. This was a personal alarm that he had placed on Harry the day he came to Hogwarts. It would inform the Professor if he ever left the protection of the castle. It had gone off several times during his time here. The other teachers looked at him to determine what was happening and what had triggered the alarm.

"It would appear that Mr. Potter has just left Hogwarts," he stated.

None of the teachers made a comment, they knew Harry had a tendency to disappear when he wanted to; they were concerned because of recent events involving Crouch Jr. and Malfoy, but soon realized there wasn't really anything they could do.

Dumbledore turn to Fawkes and asked if he could locate and return Harry to the castle; it wasn't safe for him to be out alone. Fawkes left immediately in a flash of flames.

"I have sent Fawkes off to find Harry, I am sure he will return soon and we can find out what is going on. I find myself very puzzled about what has been happening recently. If it had not been for Harry, then the impostor would still be running around the school still; and poor Miss Granger would have been raped. Then during the fight in the Great Hall, Harry and Ginny were able to stop the killing curse with a shield I have never seen before. It is all very frustrating as I cannot get any answers from either of them," stated Dumbledore.

"Well, maybe you now understand how Harry feels, Albus," said the portrait of Godric Gryffindor that was on the wall to the side of the headmasters desk. He had decided to move it there after it had been activated and had enjoyed several long conversations with him since.

"What do you mean, sir," asked Dumbledore.

"Albus, you can call me Godric. You know what I am talking about; you never told him he was my heir, you have avoided answering the many questions that he has asked about his parents or what happened when they died. Your decisions have hurt him in many ways, and you still continue to make decisions for him, like today he is perfectly safe were he is, and Xavier would never allow harm to come to him, yet you have sent Fawkes off to retrieve him."

"Hogwarts if the safest place for Harry?" Dumbledore countered.

"Albus, you seem to be suffering from memory loss. Since Harry has been at the school he has stopped Voldemort twice, killed a fifty foot Basilisk, dealt with Dementors, discovered a impostor, stopped his best friend from being raped, came under attack by his other best friend, and had to deal with the constant abuse from one of your Professors because of something his dead father did that he doesn't even know about. I would hardly say that it was a safe environment for a young person to grow up in."

Professor Snape didn't make a single comment after Godric had mentioned that he knew about the abuse that Harry had suffered from him. Yes he did have a grudge but that was with James, not Harry. Maybe he should give Harry a chance. He also knew that he let the Slytherins get away with too much, especially when it came to Potter, he had a lot of think about.

* * *

At Potter Castle, Harry and Ginny arrived in a massive entrance hall, it made the entrance to Hogwarts look small. To say that they were amazed, was an understatement. Moments after they arrived, an elderly house-elf appeared in front of them. The house-elf studied them for several minutes before bowing.

"Welcome to Potter Castle, Lord and Lady Potter, my name is Maxim," said the house-elf.

"Thank you, Maxim, my name is Harry and this is Ginny," Harry said.

"Would Master and Mistress like to meet the other house-elf's?" Maxim asked.

"Maxim, please call us Harry and Ginny, we are not your masters; we would like to be your friends."

"But sir, house-elf's live to serve a master; we is not allowed to be friends with wizard's, it is forbidden sir," replied Maxim suddenly alarmed.

"What do you mean it is forbidden?" asked Harry his anger building. He quickly calmed down as he realized it wasn't Maxim's fault.

"House-elf's are slaves, Harry. Since the treaty of 1567 we are subject to the laws of the ministry."

"Well, I don't really care what the Ministry says, Maxim, any house-elf that works for me will be a free house-elf. You can choose to work for me and I will pay you and give you holiday's," stated Harry.

"But, Master, if you free us, then the Ministry would take us away and force us to work somewhere else... or kill us if they could not find somewhere for us."

Harry's anger returned in full force, but again he quickly calmed down after Ginny started sending soothing thoughts though the bond.

"Maxim, I will not allow that to happen, all the house-elf's that currently work here will be treated as friends. The Ministry is not able to find this castle and we won't tell them anything so you will all be safe."

"Harry Potter is a great wizard, sir, no one has ever treated house-elfs as equals, it will be an honor to work for you, Harry."

With that, Maxim snapped his fingers and another forty nine house-elf's appeared. Harry and Ginny were introduced to each of them and set the terms by which they wanted them to work, they were happy to see that the elfs all agreed.

Harry then asked Maxim if they had a supply of potions, and was pleased to find they not only had a supply, but a complete working potions lab, and it was probably the best stocked lab in the world. Harry asked Maxim to take them up to the lab so that they could get the ingredients they needed. Once they got there they found several elfs working away on different potions. Maxim, seeing Harry's look, answered the question before it was even asked.

"Harry, one of your business interests is a potion supply service, all of them are made here and sent via owl. You have several contracts with large organizations to supply their potion needs," Maxim stated as Harry watched.

Harry didn't say anything else as it was obvious that this was working well. As they stood watching the process, another house-elf approached them.

"Harry, sir, how can I help you?" asked Sandy.

"Sandy, I have a list of ingredients for a potion I need to make, would you be able to get them for me, please," Harry said as he handed her the list. She took one look at it and recognized that these were for.

"Harry, sir, we already have this potion brewed would like still like the ingredients or the completed potion?" Sandy asked.

"Can I please have three vials of the completed, potion?"

She hurried away and moments later re-appeared carrying the requested vials. After adding an Unbreakable Charm on them she passed them to Harry.

"Thank you, Sandy, this is perfect; well done," Harry said as he took the vials. It was obvious they were not used to being praised for what they did and Sandy was close to tears with happiness.

As they were leaving the potions lab, Fawkes suddenly appeared and started talking to Xavier. It was a little known fact even to wizards that a Phoenix would never approach the master of another Phoenix, even if ordered to; instead, they would present the request to the Phoenix. It took several minutes for Fawkes to explain what was going on, Xavier turned to Harry and explained also.

' _Harry, it would appear that Professor Dumbledore has some form of trace on you. He detected your absence when you left the castle, and sent Fawkes here to return you to the castle immediately._ '

Harry's anger came back instantly, yet again Dumbledore had done something to control him. It took the efforts of Ginny and Xavier to calm Harry down this time.

' _Harry, Professor Dumbledore doesn't know of an old Phoenix law that forbids a Phoenix from acting against the master of another Phoenix, therefore Fawkes couldn't do anything even if he wanted to. He came here to advise you that Dumbledore is aware that you have left the castle and by this we have determined that a trace must be present._ '

Ginny turned to Harry, and using the aura sight ability that they had recently learned from Merlin, she could see the trace on Harry. They realized they would need to study how to remove it before they headed back to Hogwarts.

' _Xavier, will Dumbledore be able to detect where we are?_ ' Harry asked.

' _No, Harry, he will not be able to find you here; the wards around the castle will block the trace. However, if he is watching, he will be able to detect you once you return to Hogwarts, including finding the founder's study._ '

This doubled their determination to remove the trace.

Harry asked Maxim to take them to the library so they could find a book to help them remove the trace. If they thought the entrance hall was big, then the library was massive, there must have been ten thousand plus books. Hermione would never return if she entered this library. Ginny giggled when she saw the thought cross Harry's mind. Maxim explained how the library was laid out and also explained about the indexing system that was present. On the table in the center of the library there was a large book; this contained the complete list of books in the library. All they had to do was state which book or which subject they wanted to study and the book or books would be summoned to the table.

Harry stated they would like to remove the trace and immediately, two books appeared next to them and opened to the appropriate page. Harry knew he would be spending a lot of time in the library, as would Ginny. Each of them quickly grabbed a different book and started to read. At first it was a little confusing for them as they could see what the other was reading and their minds were absorbing all the information; however they soon learned to deal with this. Twenty minutes later, they had read all the information they could on the nature of the trace, how to place it on someone, how to remove it, and most importantly how to stop anyone placing a trace on them again.

Ginny cast the counter spell on Harry and removed the trace, she then placed the protection spell. To be safe, they also checked Ginny and found that she too had a trace on her - most likely placed after the bonding Harry removed the trace from her and placed the protection spell.

Harry wrote a quick note to Dumbledore and sent it back with Fawkes.

Fawkes returned to Dumbledore office with a letter.

 _We know about the trace it has been removed. We will return before lunch with Xavier._

Dumbledore just looked at the note with a sad sigh; he was rapidly losing control of Harry Potter.

* * *

As promised, Harry and Ginny did return to Hogwarts in time for lunch, after securing the Animagus potion in the trunk, they headed down to the Great Hall. As they sat down they found a very excited Hermione waiting for them. She had found several new books whilst in Hogsmeade; one of them explained the concepts of Legilimency which she was eager to learn. Harry promised to help her once she had read the book. He did explain that she would never be able to use it on either of them due to their bond with Xavier but he was still happy to help her with the concepts.

She asked them what they had done that morning, and they told her that they would tell her everything after lunch. They asked her if anything else had happened in Hogsmeade and they were very interested to learn that Neville had actually kissed Luna; this was a very unexpected surprise.

"I never thought he had it in him; I am impressed," said Harry.

"Wow, this is great, I think they will be very good together; they have similar interests," said Ginny.

"Yes, it was interesting, we spent the whole morning talking about Herbology. She is just as interested in it as Neville, even if she has some strange ideas about plants. I was a little weary of her at first, but she soon grows on you. I think its the matter of fact way she said things; you don't ever have to worry about were you stand with her," said Hermione.

"That much is true; I think we should ask them if they want to study with us," suggested Harry.

"That would be great, but we should be careful not to invite too many people; we don't want anyone else finding out," said Ginny.

"I agree; the five of use would make a good team, I think. I will talk to them soon and help them to learn Occlumency as we did with Hermione, and then invite them to join us," said Harry.

They continued to talk about various things as they ate their food. Towards the end of lunch, Professor McGonagall told Harry and Ginny to accompany her to see Professor Dumbledore. They had expected it after what had happened, but they didn't like the way McGonagall was acted towards them.

When they got to the office they found all of the senior staff were present, Professor Dumbledore asked them to sit down.

"Today both of you left Hogwarts School without permission, as punishment for breaking school rules you are both deducted 100 house points each, plus will serve detention with Professor McGonagall every Saturday for the rest of this year," Professor Dumbledore told them.

As the professor was talking to them, Harry noticed that he gave a slight signal to Professor Snape and moments later, felt two simultaneous full force attacks upon his mind. The look of pure shock on the faces of Dumbledore and Snape showed that they had fully expected this attack to work, they had planned to get the memories they wanted then stunned both of them so they could Oblivate them. Unfortunately for them, the attack wasn't even close to being successful and only resulted in a very angry Harry and Ginny.

"Professor we have warned you twice already about illegal attacked on our minds, and you have twice lied to us that you would not do it again. Yet here we sit with you and Professor Snape having attempted a full force attack on my mind. Obviously you have no respect for our wishes as has already been demonstrated twice today; I would seriously reconsider the punishment you have just given to both of us as I am sure the board of governors would be interested to know that you are illegally attacking students minds," stated Harry in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Harry, I will do no such thing, the punishment will stand, and you will not go to the board of governors as you have no proof," stated Dumbledore in a slightly smug voice. Now I would suggest that you both return to your common room and consider the impact your actions have had on your class mates. As they stood to leave they both felt the trace protection spell activate as Dumbledore attempted to restore the trace. As soon as it failed to hold, he realized that they knew the protection spell and had applied to themselves. He suddenly felt very ill; they surely had detected his attempt.

They slowly turned around again the fury in their eyes caused the other teachers to take a step back. They didn't say anything just looked him in the eye, he realized that they were going to attempt to access his mind he watched in amusement as Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and they both focused on him, he knew they would never be able break his shields so just let them waste time on this while Snape attempted to place a different trace on them.

His amusement was soon replaced with fear as not only did they smash straight through his shield, but there was nothing he could do to get them out again, the attack only lasted for a couple of minutes, but during that time they had found out everything about Harry, the prophecy, Snape's betrayal and later regret, and his parents at school. They turned to Snape and smashed through his shields too, it took even less time for them to see everything they needed, including his involvement in the war, and how he was treated by James.

"Now, Professors, you understand what it is like to be attacked, believe us when we tell you that wasn't even a full strength attack. If you _ever_ attempt to attack either of us again or place a trace on us, we will not hesitate next time, regardless of the cost to your mind. Is that perfectly clear?" Harry stated once they had finished.

Dumbledore realized that he had just lost Harry's trust, most likely forever. At first he was trying to protect him from the knowledge of what he had to do; after that, he had grown to like Harry; but now he realized he wanted the control. He knew that if he tried anything again, on either of them it would cost far too much. He decided then to help Harry in any way he could and no longer try to control him.

As Harry and Ginny left, they heard Professor Dumbledore tell Professor McGonagall that the punishment was overturned.

They returned to the Gryffindor common room still in a foul mood; not only had two teachers tried to attack Harry's mind, but they had found out that Snape was the reason for his parents deaths, even if he was sorry that he had been involved it was too late for regret.

Yes, Harry's dad had been mean to Snape when they were at school; there was no excuse for that. But to betray his parents in the worse possible way, and then hold the grudge against Harry, was almost unforgivable. If it hadn't been for the fact that they had seen that he truly did regret his actions and was actually once in love with Lily Evans, they would have probably done something they would have regretted. Luckily, neither of them had potions until later in the week so they didn't have to face him yet.

Hermione immediately noticed something was wrong when she approached them and the room was noticeable warmer where they were sitting.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Not really," Ginny said as they got up. Hermione followed them to the study before continuing the conversation.

"What happened?" she asked.

Harry and Ginny proceeded to tell her all about their visit to Potter Castle and what had happened in Dumbledore's office. She could understand why they felt it necessary to punish them for breaking the rules, but did agree that they were complete out of order for the actions that followed.

They continued to talk late into the evening, in fact, they realized that they had completely missed dinner. They decided to head down to the kitchens to see if they could find something to eat. As they got there the door opened automatically for Harry and they were able to enter. Hermione was not happy when she saw all the house-elf's working there, but once she found out that they were actually paid by the school, and they wanted to work there, was happier. Dobby came running over to them as soon as they entered the room.

"Harry Potter, sir, comes to see Dobby," he said with excitement.

"Hello, Dobby, how are you?" asked Harry.

"Dobby is good thank you, how can Dobby help you?"

"We missed dinner and wondered if you would be able to make something for us," asked Harry.

Dobby disappeared and moments later returned with a tray full of food.

"Thank you, Dobby," they each said as they tucked into their food.

Once they had finished eating, they returned to the common room to find Professor McGonagall waiting for them.

"Harry, Ginny please may I speak to you in my office?" she asked.

"Yes, Professor," they both answered and followed her back out of the common room.

They walked in silence to her office, and stood patiently before her desk once they got there.

"Please, have a seat, I wanted to talk to you about several things and felt that it would be better to do it in here," she told them.

"Firstly, I would like to express how sorry I am for how you were treated today. I had no idea that they planned to try and attack your mind, they only said they wanted to restore the trace," she said.

Before he responded he started looking around the room and suddenly focused on the corner near the door; using his Aura sight he detected the presence of another person.

"You can stop hiding, Professor," Harry said directly to Professor Dumbledore. He noticed the shocked look on McGonagall face but wasn't sure if it was because Harry had found him or because she didn't know that he was there.

Dumbledore removed the invisibility spell on himself, and sat down in front of Harry and Ginny.

"Harry I wanted to apologize for my actions; the reason I was hiding was because I wanted to gauge your reaction to what had happened. I admit I have made a number of large mistakes when it comes to you, I thought that by not telling you about the prophecy that I was protecting you. Everything I have tried to do has been about protecting you from the death eaters and Voldemort, but I can see that I have also hindered you by my actions and it appears by the actions of some of my teachers. Godric Gryffindor told me what he knew about the treatment you have received from Professor Snape, I never realized that it had gotten that bad."

Harry interrupted him before he could continue.

"Professor, I am not ready to talk about this yet. We are both still very angry about what happened today, and by what we learned. Especially in relation to Professor Snape; please can we return to the Gryffindor tower so we can get some sleep. I think that once all of us have had a chance to cool down a little we will be in a better place to discuss this," Harry said in a polite tone.

"I think that is a very good idea," said Professor McGonagall, before Dumbledore could say anything. With that they quickly left the office and returned to the tower and to bed.

Unfortunately their minds could not sleep much that night, they spent most of it processing what they had seen in Dumbledore and Snape's memories.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The next morning, Harry and Ginny woke up in a slightly better mood. They knew that they would have to speak to Dumbledore at some point but really didn't want to do it yet. They looked at the time and realized they were late for breakfast. As they didn't want to face anyone at the moment, they headed down to the kitchen's to eat. It was Sunday and there wasn't much for them to do as their homework was complete, so they headed back to the study after breakfast to relax.

"Harry, I am still very stressed about what happened yesterday, I wish there was something we could do to get rid of the stress," said Ginny.

"I know what you mean; I wish we had a punching bag, or something like that," said Harry.

"I heard that running can be a good stress reliever, particularly if you push yourself," said Ginny.

"Hmm, that is a great idea, Ginny, why don't we go for a run outside?" suggested Harry.

"Sounds good," replied Ginny.

"Okay, lets get changed into something more suitable and meet back in the common room in five minutes, we head down to the lake and start from there," said Harry as he got up.

Once they had changed, they made their way down to the entrance hall. As they approached, they heard a voice they had hoped to not hear again for a while.

"Yes, it was all a plot to get rid of me," said Draco Malfoy to several of his fellow Slytherin's.

"So what really happened, Draco," asked Pansy Parkinson.

"It was a trap, when we got to the room, Hermione Granger came on to me and when I responded she started screaming rape; several seconds later, St. Potter and his bitch appeared in the room and stunned me."

They both realized immediately that Draco had no idea that two Professors had been there as a witness, so resolved to talk to them to see what could be done. In the meantime, they would avoid any contact with him if they could, and would ensure that neither Ginny nor Hermione were left to walk alone. If it meant Harry using Xavier to get to his lessons on time after escorting Ginny, so be it.

Harry decided to talk to both Xavier and Godric Gryffindor, and to start making use of the extensive spy network they had. He would do anything to protect the people he loved and wasn't about to let Draco Malfoy or his goons hurt them.

They definitely needed to get outside now, before they heard any more crap from Malfoy. They made their way down to the lake and set off at a slow pace. They started to increase the pace as their bodies adjusted to the exercise. An hour later they had run around the lake twice and felt winded, but good.

As they slowly made their way back to the castle they decided that it would be beneficial to them to exercise on a regular schedule. They planned to get up slightly earlier each morning and go for a run around the lake, slowly increasing the distance as they got fitter.

When they got back to the castle, it was almost lunch time and as they had decided to talk with Neville and Luna today made sure to find them when they got to the Great Hall. Malfoy was already there, gloating about how his father had made sure he was returned to the school, and how he would make Granger and Potter pay for his embarrassment. Harry realized that Malfoy was trying to provoke him, so made sure to completely ignore the comments; thankfully Ginny also realized, so was sending him calming thoughts through the bond. He could tell that this was annoying the blond git to no end. He tried to make some suggestive comments about Ginny but this didn't work either. Seeing that Harry wasn't going to bite, Malfoy finally got bored and started eating.

It didn't escape Harry or Ginny's notice that a lot fewer Slytherins cared what he was saying; they hoped it would stay that way but were not overly confident.

Harry noticed that Neville was upset that Malfoy was back; he had been a lot more outgoing after Malfoy had been expelled, but Harry could tell that he was quickly going back into his shell. This reinforced the decision to include him in the training.

Harry approached Neville after lunch and started to talk to him.

"Neville, how are you doing?" asked Harry.

"Not so well, Harry. It was so much better when they were not here," replied Neville as he looked over to Malfoy and his friends.

"I know, Neville. I wasn't happy to see them back either," Harry said as he got up from the table.

"Neville, can we go for a walk?" asked Harry.

Neville got up and followed him out of the Great Hall, once they were in a deserted corridor Harry continued to talk.

"Look, Neville, Ginny, Hermione and I are studying in private to improve our magic and also learn new spells and incantations that havent been taught yet or wont be taught at all. We wondered if you would be interesting in joining us?"

"Why me, Harry, there are plenty of others who are much better at magic then me," said Neville in a defeated voice.

"Because you are our friend, and have had to deal with just as much rubbish from Malfoy and others as we all have," explained Harry.

"But I am rubbish at magic, Harry; it will take far too long for me to learn new stuff. I would just be holding you back," Neville said.

"Neville, you are not rubbish at magic; you are just very nervous about doing it. I am sure that once you are in a more comfortable environment, you will be able to do it," Harry said as confidently as he could.

"If you are sure you want me to join, then I would be happy to, Harry; I know that I shouldn't let Malfoy get to me but it is so hard sometimes," he said sadly.

"I know, Neville. I suspect that Mr. Malfoy bribed the Minister and the school Governor's to allow him to come back. We will be keeping a very close eye on him from now on."

They continued to talk as they headed towards the Ravenclaw common room to find Luna; now that Neville had agreed to join the group, they wanted to invite her as well. She quickly agreed. They later found out that she had no friends except Neville because they all thought she was too weird.

Harry explained that they would need to learn Occlumency and that he had the ability to transfer the knowledge to them, and then they would need to practice until they had strong shields. They would then be able to join the group for full training. In the mean time, Harry and Ginny told them that they had started exercising in the mornings and invited them to join in.

The rest of the day went quickly for the four of them. Neville and Luna had disappeared to the library to practice Occlumency whilst Harry and Ginny went to the study to read.

Later that evening, they told Hermione about running in the mornings and she agreed to join them too.

* * *

Each morning the five of them went for a run before breakfast. They thought that none of the other students had even noticed because they returned by the time most of them were getting up. They were therefore surprised on the fifth day when the twins met them in the common room and asked if they could join them. They happily agreed, and the seven made their way out to the lake to begin their daily routine. The twins where soon enjoying themselves immensely.

After several days, Harry and Ginny knew that they weren't going to be able to keep the twins ignorant of all that the group was doing, so they explained what was going on and invited them to join the group. He discovered that they already knew Occlumency, so encouraged them to strengthen their shields and again transferred the full knowledge of the subject to them. As all of them had reasonably strong shields now, they were introduced to the founders study. The twins were amazed that they had not found it before until Harry explained what would have happened if they had tried.

When Harry told them that there were entrances near each of the common rooms, he could see the glint of mischief in their eyes.

"We are already thinking of a prank to pull and, of course, Malfoy is going to be the target," Harry said as he watched them.

"Well, Harry, I am sure that we could come up with some marvelous ideas. Are you looking for complete humiliation or just mild irritation?" Fred asked.

"Oh, I think both, eventually; we need to build up to it," Harry said with a nasty smile.

They continued to discuss just what they wanted to do with Malfoy. The plan would start with some minor embarrassments, and end up with something very humiliating that would hopefully bring him down several pegs.

"Well, if we are going to do this, we should come up with a name for the group," said George a little later.

"The New Marauder's," Harry said without thinking.

Fred and George looked at him in shock for a moment.

"What do you know..."

"About the Marauder's..."

"Harry, have you been..."

"Holding out on us?", they asked.

Harry looked up and them for a second and laughed.

"I guess you never found out who they were then? Well, I am sure you will be amazed to know that you have actually met two of them already; in fact one was a teacher here just last year," Harry said.

He could tell that they were trying to work out who it could be when George suddenly looked at him.

"Are you telling me that Professor Lupin was a Marauder?"

"Yes, he was, he was known as Moony, and unfortunately you also know the second, but he is was a traitor. Wormtail betrayed my parents which resulted in Prongs dying and Padfoot going to Azkaban."

They looked at him as though he had two heads.

"You're Prongs Jr.," they both said together.

"Yes, I suppose I am; Prongs was my dad and Sirius Black was Padfoot, which was why Lupin allowed me to have the map back when he left last year."

They continued to talk about the Marauder's and decided that it would be a perfect name for the group - and their first prank would be in honour of the original Marauder's. Harry then went on to explain why the three had become illegal Animagus so that they could spend time with Lupin when he transformed. He told them all that if they were to properly honour the Marauder's, they should do the same too.

To their surprise, it was Hermione who agreed first. They had expected her to complain that they were breaking the law. The others very quickly agreed and Harry told them that he would transfer the knowledge they currently had so that they were prepared. He also told them that they would all take the potion on Saturday to find out what their animal was. Once they knew their animal, they would need to come up with Marauder names; he did warn them that the transformation may take a while, so they needed to make sure they practiced. He also told them never to practice alone in case they ever got stuck and couldn't change back.

Later that evening, everyone except Harry and Ginny had returned to the common rooms; they wanted some time alone to just relax.

' _You know, Harry, we need to make more time for ourselves,_ ' Ginny said as they cuddled on the couch.

' _I know, Gin; I like spending time with the others, but I love spending time alone with you. Have I told you today that I Love You?_ ' He asked.

' _No, I don't believe you have, Mr. Potter,_ ' she said in a mock hurt voice.

' _Oh, how careless of me; please forgive me, Mrs. Potter. What can I do to make it up to you?_ ' He asked.

' _Well, actually, I could really use a foot massage. They are so sore from all the running,_ ' she said.

Harry moved to the end of the couch and removed her trainers and socks; he slowly moved his thumbs in a circle pattern along bottom of her left foot increasing the pressure as he continued. Ginny signed with contentment as Harry massaged her foot. The soreness was soon forgotten as she focused on the comfort that Harry's massage was giving her. Harry took her right foot in his hands and proceeded to massage as thoroughly as before.

' _Oh, Harry, that feels so good. You can definitely do that again,_ ' she told him.

' _Anytime, Gin, anytime._ '

He continued to work on her feet until she fell asleep. He loved pampering her; it gave him as much pleasure as it did her. He wasn't sure if that was because of the bond or just the feeling of doing something for someone he loved so much. He really didn't care which it was so long as they were happy.

* * *

Saturday was soon upon them once again; it seemed that the weeks were flying by now. January had been cold, but they still did their morning runs. All of them had noticed the difference it made; they were able to concentrate better in class well, except Harry and Ginny who were completely bored out of their minds. They also noticed that they could cast spells better, which made sense when they realized it was as much linked to stamina as skill.

After breakfast, the seven of them returned to the study, so that they could take the Animagus potion. Harry had sent a message to Maxim to request four more vials of the potion which had arrived back with Xavier several minutes later.

Once they were all settled down, Harry handed out the potion and they all drank at the same time. As the potion started to take effect, each of them slumped down onto the floor and entered their trance.

Harry and Ginny were initially surprised that they had entered the trance together but realized that it made sense because of the bond and their shared mind. They were amazed to see a number of different animals before them; they counted a total of eight, male and female of each. They wondered whether they needed to select which of the pairs they wanted to be, but soon realized that they would be able to become all of them. They spent time with each pair trying to fully understand everything they could so that they would be able to transform correctly. The pair that interested them the most were the Phoenixes that they had approached first. They decided these must be their primary forms. They were excited by the prospect of this particular transformation, as it would allow them even more freedom.

The others all woke up less than an hour after taking the potion and were very happy. They had already decided to wait for everyone to wake up before revealing their form. However they were not expecting Harry and Ginny to be out for nearly four hours.

When they finally woke up, they noticed that all the others were sitting around occupying their time.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Fred said when he noticed they were awake.

"Oh we were so worried something was wrong," added Hermione before pulling them each into a bone crushing hug.

All the others reacted in a similar fashion which scared Harry and Ginny a little.

"How long have we been out?" asked Harry nervously.

"About four hours. We woke up after about an hour," Hermione said.

"Sorry guys, we didn't know," replied Harry. "It only seemed like a few minutes. Did you all see your animals?" asked Harry.

"Yes," they all said together.

"So, what are you, Hermione," asked Ginny.

"I don't understand how, but it appears that I have two forms, my first form is a Snowy Owl, and my second form is a Lioness," she said with a large smile.

"That is so cool," said Ginny.

They then went around the room; Luna was a Unicorn and Lioness, Neville a Bear and Lion, the twins were Foxes and Lions.

"That is amazing, I read in the Animagus book that it had not been heard of to have more than one form, yet here we are with five people having two forms," Hermione stated after they others had finished.

They all looked at Harry and Ginny to see what forms they had.

"Well we seem to be the exception to the rules too, however we don't have two forms," Harry said.

"We have eight forms," continued Ginny.

"We both saw our forms together and have the male and female of the following, Phoenix, Lion, Deer, Snake, Eagle, Centaur, Hippogriff and merman in my case and a mermaid in Ginny's," said Harry.

In their excitement, they hadn't noticed that every one of them had the same second animal.

"So, now we need to come up with our Marauder names," Harry told them.

They spent the rest of the day thinking about names and started working on the transformations.

The next morning, they arrived for their run, but Harry decided they should go to the study and sort out their Marauder names as the first prank was that evening, and they wanted to make sure they had names ready.

They all entered the study and settled down. Harry started the proceedings; he named himself _Firelight_ , after his Phoenix form.

Ginny announced that she was going to call herself _Firefly_ , which her brothers had called her when she was younger, and she thought it perfect for her Phoenix form.

Hermione chose _Snowy_ , after her Owl form.

Luna chose _Pure_ , after her Unicorn form.

Neville chose _Ripper_ , after his Bear form.

George chose _Mischief_ , while Fred chose _Trouble_ , which everyone thought was appropriate for them.

They were all happy with their names so headed down for an early breakfast. The day went quite slowly as they all attended their lessons. They all were excited at the prospect of the evenings entertainment.

* * *

Harry had ask Dobby for his help with the prank, which he was only too happy to give when he found out it was Malfoy who was the target. He just needed to add the potion to his drink and food when Dinner was served.

That evening the seven members of The New Marauders were sitting at the Gryffindor table enjoying their dinner when they heard a very loud fart come from the Slytherin table. Each of them made sure to keep a straight face, at least until everyone else was laughing, so not to give themselves away. Thankfully it didn't take long for others to realize that it was Draco Malfoy who was the source of the loud farts that were continuing every few seconds.

He had initially tried to hide it, but when others at the table start moving away from him and others just stared disgustedly at him, he jumped up from the table and ran out of the hall, farting all the way.

It took several minutes for everyone to stop laughing and return to eating; as they did, a loud explosion was heard and a banner appeared over the great hall saying "This evenings entertainment was brought to you by The New Marauders" a minute later it disappeared.

The talk around the castle for the rest of the evening was about the prank that had been played on Draco, and who The New Marauders were. Most people had never heard of The Marauders so there was little danger of them finding out who it could be.

The next morning, they found out that Draco had spent all night farting; he had not even been able to sleep it was so bad. The prank had worked much better than they hoped as he was the laughing stock of the school the next day.

"Potter, I am going to get you for that," sneered Draco as they left the Great Hall.

"For what, Malfoy? Just because you cant control your bodily functions doesn't mean you can take it out on others," Harry had said as he walked away.

"One of these days you will get what is coming to you, Potter, and I will make that slut of a girlfriend pay dearly," shouted Draco as Harry continued to walk away.

"Malfoy, you are all words and no action. Ginny could take you in a fight anytime if you are really stupid enough to try," Harry shouted back.

Harry knew he was pushing Draco, but wanted to see what he would do. He was not surprised when a few seconds later, a cutting curse flew towards him. Without any effort, he raised a shield and the curse was stopped. Draco was about to fire a second curse when Professor Flitwick walked up to him.

"100 points from Slytherin and a weeks detention for attacking a fellow student, Mr. Malfoy," he said.

"You can't do that! Potter started it," shouted Malfoy.

"Actually, Mr. Malfoy, I can do that; I witnessed the whole thing, you started it and the only thing that Mr. Potter did was reply to your comments and raise a shield when you attacked. If you would like to discuss this further with the headmaster then we can go to his office now?" Flitwick told him in a stern voice.

Malfoy immediately backed down; he didn't want to risk another run in with the headmaster. He knew that it would be more trouble than it was worth.

Harry had known that Flitwick was there before everything started and was very happy when he heard the punishment; he knew this would make Draco even more unpopular in his house.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The New Marauders continued to practice their transformation each night in the study. Each time, one of them would keep watch while the others worked so they could help any of the others if they got stuck. They soon found it was a wise decision; several times they had to rescue someone and transform them back.

Several weeks later, Harry and Ginny were the first to complete their transformations, they told the others that they were ready to try the full transformation. They all sat around the edge of the study and waited with excitement as Harry and Ginny started the transformation at the same time. The others looked on in awe at the two Phoenixes that appeared before them; Harry had black features, striking green eyes and a slight mark above one eye where his scar would be. Ginny had striking red features that matched her hair and chocolate brown eyes. They were about to transform back when Fawkes and Xavier flashed into the room and carefully studied them.

' _Congratulations to both of you, no one has ever managed this transformation before,_ ' Xavier told them.

' _Thank you, Xavier. When we found out we had this form, we were excited to try it,_ ' Harry responded.

' _Hello, Harry and Ginny,_ ' Fawkes said as he landed before them. They both looked at him in surprise.

' _Ah, yes, I can see you are surprised. You can now talk to me as well; Phoenixes communicate with each other this way, and since you have now transformed, you have all the abilities of a Phoenix. Xavier and I will train you in Phoenix magic and help you to understand everything._ '

' _Thank you, Fawkes, this is just so amazing,_ ' Harry said in response.

' _Harry, it has been for us too. As I told Professor Dumbledore after you bonded, never before has a second Phoenix witnessed the bonding process, and now we both are witness to your transformation._ '

They continued to talk for a few more minutes as Xavier and Fawkes explained to them about Phoenix magic.

' _It's time to transform back; if you don't, then you risk staying in this form forever. Over time you will be able to stay in a form for longer,_ ' Xavier told them.

They both transformed back to the stunned faces of their friends.

"What happened?" asked Hermione.

"Fawkes and Xavier came to talk to us about our transformation. We are the first to ever achieve the form and they wanted to make sure we understood about Phoenix magic," Ginny told them.

"Wow, that is so cool, so do you have all the abilities of a Phoenix," Hermione asked who looked at them jealously.

"Yes, we do; they are going to train us on how to use them," Harry said with a smile.

"Can you tell us about Phoenix magic?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Harry asked Xavier and Fawkes who both answered that it wasnt possible to discuss it.

"Sorry, we can't," replied Harry honestly. Hermione looked upset at this as she loved learning anything about magic.

Over the next few days the other Marauder's completed their first forms. They had a little party to celebrate when they had all managed it. Harry and Ginny had already started working on a second form. Harry wanted to do the Stag as that represented his father, and Ginny decided on the mermaid because she loved swimming and thought it would be fun to try. In order to do that, however, she needed a large tank of water.

One evening not long after that, they entered one of the bedrooms off of the main study and were surprise to find that it had been transformed into a massive swimming pool. They asked Godric about it and he told them that the school had responded to Ginny's request for a pool to practice in.

The second transformation was easier for all of them basically because they knew they could do it, they had all completed them a couple of days later.

* * *

As February ended, they realized the second task was in less then a month. Hermione asked if Harry had worked out the clue. He admitted that he hadnt yet, and decided to spend some time studying the egg. He opened it again, expecting to hear the terrible screeching. However, this time, he heard a song. He looked around and could see that Ginny was also hearing the song but that the others were in pain due to the sound.

He quickly wrote down the words he heard, and then closed the egg. Hermione wondered what he was doing when he started writing, but it soon became clear that he was hearing something else besides the screech. Hermione looked at the words of the song and remembered what Harry had told her about his forms. She quickly realized that it must have been mermish that he heard; that would explain why Ginny could hear it too.

"Harry, I think that was mermish that you heard," said Hermione a few minutes later. "All I could hear was the terrible screeching but you didn't hear that did you?"

"No, Hermione, I didn't; it was a song; Ginny heard it too. I think you are right, do you think there are merpeople in the black lake?" asked Harry.

"That would make sense, Harry; it seems that you are going to have to go in the black lake for the second task and find something that you care about," Hermione concluded.

"I guess I need to work on my merman form," Harry told them.

"Yes, Harry, at least we have the pool," said Ginny.

"I wonder what I will have to search for; it sounds like it will be something important. I don't like the way the end of the song is worded, and cannot believe that they would allow such an outcome if we don't succeed," said Harry.

As they had already been down to breakfast, Harry headed to the pool room as they had named it so he could begin practicing. Ginny offered to join him as she had already completed the transformation and looked forward to spending some time with him. Harry focused on the merman transformation and was able to transform fully on his first attempt.

' _Wow, that was fast, Harry,_ ' Ginny said as she just stared at him.

' _Yes, and I haven't even thought about doing it before; that was weird._ '

' _Hmm, I wonder,_ ' said Ginny as she suddenly transformed into her Doe form.

' _Well done, Gin,_ ' Harry told her as they both transformed back and kissed.

' _So, it appears that only one of us needs to learn the transformation and then we are both able to complete it,_ ' Ginny said with a smile.

' _It would appear so,_ ' said Harry.

' _Wow, this will really cut down the amount of time we need to finish all our transformations; I am going to try the Eagle form next,_ ' announced Ginny as she transformed into her mermaid form in the pool.

' _I think I am going to try the Snake, we could have some fun with that one,_ ' laughed Harry as they swam around in the pool.

' _Sounds good, Harry. Well we don't have to worry about those just yet; we should focus on getting ready for the second task and then worry about the next forms._ '

' _Yes, that sounds like a good plan,_ ' said Harry.

' _I think we should go out to the black lake this afternoon and spend some time swimming out there; at least you will have an idea of what is in the lake,_ ' Ginny suggested.

' _Yes, I think that would be a great idea._ '

After lunch, Harry and Ginny spent the afternoon in the Black Lake. They soon discovered that there was a whole community of merpeople in the lake. They were initially hostile toward them, but once they showed that they meant them no harm and just wanted to explore the lake, they left them alone. The lake was a lot deeper than they expected and had a lot of creatures they had never heard of.

They both decided that they would visit the lake regularly whilst at school; they found it relaxing as they swam around effortlessly. They had not met any more merpeople that day, but hoped they would in the future.

After their swim, they returned to the castle and decided to relax. They had completed all their homework so didn't need to worry about that. The common room soon became busy as the rest of the students returned from their activities. Rather than deal with the noise, Harry and Ginny headed off to the study.

They settled down on the large couch and just cuddled into each other. The last few weeks had been so hectic that they hadn't had much time together. As they continued to relax together on the couch, Harry moved Ginny so she was sitting between his legs and started to slowly massage her shoulders; he could tell that she tense.

He continued to massage her shoulders and then moved to her back making sure not to hurt her as he applied pressure to her spine and upper back. Twenty minutes later he had finished on her whole back and was starting to work on her feet again. Harry spent almost an hour massaging her and it was the best she had felt in a long time; she didn't want him to stop, but he was now very tired.

' _Oh, Harry, that felt so good, thank you._ '

' _Youre welcome, Ginny._ '

They then swapped positions and Ginny proceeded to massage Harry exactly as he had just done for her.

' _Hmm, Ginny, that does feel good,_ ' said Harry as she continued to massage his back.

After dinner, the twins walked into the study; they wanted to propose something for the group.

"We have been thinking, Harry, we really should start dueling; with Malfoy and his goons returning to the school, we need to be able to stand up for ourselves," George said.

"Yes, we know that idiot Lockhart tried to teach us but he was useless. Do you think we could add it to our morning workout or something," said Fred.

"Hmm, that does sound like a good idea guys, we will think about it tonight and let you know tomorrow morning, how does that sound?" asked Harry.

"Great! Thanks, Harry," they said together before leaving the room.

' _It is a good idea, Harry. I think we should do it,_ ' said Ginny.

' _Yes, I think we should too, we will tell them in the morning._ '

Before heading to bed, they decided to look at Merlin's list of spells to see what they could find on dueling. There were several spells, so they decided to incorporate each of them before going to bed so they could review them overnight and be ready for them morning. They were amazed at the amount of knowledge that those memories had given them. Luckily they had only done one at a time as they may have overloaded themselves.

They quickly fell asleep when they got back to their rooms. Once they arrived in their mind, they reviewed all the information about dueling and decided that there was far too much to share with the others. They selected some of the more important topics and would share those for now.

* * *

The next morning, the others arrived as normal for their run, but Harry announced that they were going to start learning to duel, and that they would need to get up earlier from now on so they could include some time for it. They were all excited by the prospect, and agreed to get up earlier. Instead of their normal run that morning, Harry transferred the dueling knowledge they had selected. They allowed the others time to review the knowledge whilst Harry and Ginny got up to practiced dueling. They bowed to each other and then started throwing curses at one another.

The others watched in amazement as the duel continued, and they were both throwing curses so fast that they became a blur. None of the others noticed that they were now using both hands for the duel, or that the spells coming from the wands were stronger. To their surprise, they were able to cast weaker spells wandlessly. After twenty minutes they both called it a draw as they were completely exhausted; they had not realized just how fast or hard they had been dueling.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry.

"Harry, you just had a twenty minute duel with Ginny, and after five minutes you guys were moving so quickly we could not even see what you were doing," Hermione said.

They both looked at each other in amazement, then realized that it was mostly because of the bond that they were able to move like that; they knew what the other was going to do so were able to adapt quickly.

They told the others to pair up and start dueling; Ginny agreed to partner Hermione whilst Harry watched and offered advice to each pair. They continued for the next forty minutes until it was time to go down to breakfast. All of them agreed that they had learned something useful already and committed to work as hard as possible.

As they walked down to breakfast, Harry and Ginny reviewed the duel again in their mind.

' _I think that we should each get a second wand, Harry. During the duel we were using both hands; if we had two wands we would be able to attack and defend at full power._ '

' _Yes, I think that is an excellent idea. I think I saw my parent's wands in the vault. We should see if they will work for us. I would also like to find a better way of keeping them on us; having them in our pockets isn't ideal,_ ' replied Harry.

' _If we had a holster on our wrists that held the wands, then we could just flick them into our hands,_ ' suggested Ginny.

' _Hmm, that might work if the wands where shorter,_ ' Harry said.

' _What if the holster shrunk the wand when it retracted, and returned it back to normal size when releasing it?_ '

' _Yes, that would work, and if we placed an invisibility charm on it then no one would know we had them, I think that could work, Gin_ ' said Harry.

' _Now, we just have to find someone who can create it,_ ' Ginny said.

After breakfast Harry and Ginny had a free lesson, so they decided to continue working on the holster idea.

Harry called Maxim who appeared a few seconds later. He explained what they were looking for and Maxim told them that they had everything they needed a Potter Castle and that he would create them when he got back. Harry asked him to create nine holsters, two each for Harry and Ginny, and one each for the other Marauder's. Maxim disappeared after promising to return the next morning with the holsters.

Harry then asked Xavier to flash them to Gringotts so that they could get the wands out of their vault. To their surprise, Xavier took them directly to the vault. They quickly grabbed the two wands and returned to the study.

Harry and Ginny headed into the bedrooms that they had converted into a training room. They had added some test dummies as well as other objects that could absorb spells, and this allowed them to practice some of the nastier spells they were learning without having to practice against each other. They started practicing with the new wands by casting a few simple spells and soon found that they did work but not as well as their main wands.

After the practice they got ready for their next lessons. Before leaving, they hid the second wands in Harry's trunk as they didn't want anyone else to know about them.

* * *

The next morning as promised, Maxim had returned with the holsters. Maxim told Harry that they had also added Charm to stop anyone from forcefully taking the wand.

Each of them took one and placed their wands in them, they then attached them to the wrists and they re-sized to fit perfectly, and then disappeared. They each practiced releasing the wands until they were able to do it almost instantly. They didn't want anyone else to find out about the holsters so needed to make sure that they were quick enough that no one would noticed how the wand appear in their hands. Whilst the others continued to practice Harry and Ginny attached their second wands, however they didn't practice releasing them until they were in private again.

During their next duel, they again became a blur of movement, before releasing the second wands to practice with; they soon noticed the difference, they were able to duel for thirty minutes before they started to get tired.

Several days later, Harry and Ginny were relaxing in their mind after falling asleep when Ginny noticed a door that she had not seen before.

"Harry, what is that door?" she asked.

"Ah, that would be a secret, Gin; I can't tell you at the moment."

"Why not, Harry?"

"Because it is a surprise, you will find out when the right time comes; it is nothing bad; I promise," said Harry.

She could see that he was being honest with her, and she trusted him fully so didn't think about it again. They continued to relax and talk before finally falling asleep.

* * *

Two weeks before the start of the second task Dumbledore approached Harry and Ginny looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Harry, I need to talk with both you in my office, please," said Dumbledore.

"Certainly, Professor, is something wrong?" asked Harry as he noticed the twinkle in his eye was gone.

"I will tell you when we get there; it isn't something that we should discuss here," he replied.

They proceeded to follow the Professor to his office. As they approached the Gargoyle, they noticed that Professor McGonagall was waiting for them.

"Ah, thank you for coming, Professor McGonagall," said Professor Dumbledore.

"I felt it important to be here when you spoke with them, Headmaster; after all they are in house," replied McGonagall as they made there way up to the office.

' _I don't like this,_ ' stated Harry as they got into the office.

' _I don't either, Harry, I think we should call Xavier just in case,_ ' replied Ginny.

As if on queue, Xavier flashed into the room and settled down next to Fawkes on his perch.

"Harry, normally we shouldn't even be talking to you about this but given the special circumstances we felt that it was necessary. As you know, the second task is in two weeks; hopefully you have worked out the clue by now?" said Professor Dumbledore after they had all taken their seats.

"Yes, Professor we have worked out the clue and have been training. We have already spent some time in the Black Lake," stated Harry.

"Excellent, at least we don't have to worry about that," said Dumbledore.

"Now, to the problem at hand; unfortunately, Ginny is the one you have to find during the task. Someone important to each of the champions has been selected; they will be placed in a suspended state whilst in the water and will recover once they are rescued."

Harry and Ginny both reacted instantly to the news.

"There is no way that I will allow this, Professor, you heard the end of the song," Harry shouted as he started to get very angry. Both Fawkes and Xavier started singing to trying and calm him down.

"Harry, please you need to calm down; if there was any other way around this then we would have used it, but we cannot. The rules are set and nothing can stop it. I am sorry, Harry, however, I have spoken with Morander and he has told me a guard will be present with Ginny the whole time she is in the water," said Dumbledore in a soothing voice.

"I don't like this one bit, Professor, but as you stated, it doesn't appear we have much choice. I will tell you now, if anything happens to Ginny, I will not stop until I have found out who is responsible and they have been dealt with."

"What we don't know, Harry, is what effect it will have on you when we place Ginny in the suspended state, therefore we would like to try it now. If it is going to be a problem, then we will need to see what we can do about it," said Dumbledore.

"Okay, Professor," they said together.

Professor Dumbledore proceeded to place Ginny into the suspended state, as he did, Harry felt the change in Ginny, but was pleased that they could still talk in their mind. The only real difference was they could not feel Ginny's body at all, or use any of her senses.

"Thank you," said Professor Dumbledore once they had finished.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

The next couple of days were a blur for Harry and Ginny; they were completely focused on the second task, and everything they had learned from Professor Dumbledore. They had spent most of their free time in the study reviewing anything they could find on the Stasis Spell that Dumbledore had used on Ginny. They wanted to fully understand what it did so should there be any problems, they would know how to undo it.

On the third day they went for a walk around the lake to see if any of the merpeople were around; unfortunately they didn't find any so started to head back to the castle when they were confronted by Malfoy and his goons.

"So, Scarhead, you think you are so special because you are a champion," sneered Malfoy.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy, I didn't want to be a champion. It was Barty Crouch Jr. that entered my name and charmed the cup to select me," replied Harry.

"As I said to that Mudblood, you have interfered with our plans already, next time we will succeed and you will finally get what you deserve. I am going to enjoying showing your girlfriend what a real man does with sluts," Draco said while looking her up and down.

At this Ginny burst out laughing, "I assume that you are not talking about yourself then, Malfoy?"

It took a second for Malfoy to realize what she had just said.

"How dare you, I am more man than Potter will ever be," he replied.

"In your dreams, Malfoy, why don't you run off with your boyfriends here? I'm sure they would like to enjoy the pleasure of your company," said Ginny.

"You stupid bitch, you will regret what you just said," he screamed as he raised his wand and fired a Cruciatus Curse at Ginny, his glee obvious in anticipation. However, the glee was soon replaced with great fear as a shield suddenly appeared around them and absorbed the curse fully. Malfoy tried several more times but one ended in the same way.

"That is impossible," shouted Malfoy.

"As you can see, Malfoy, it is not impossible you just have to know how to do magic properly," taunted Harry.

"Mark my words, Potter, you will soon get what is coming to you, and I will get my prize. So what if you have found a way of stopping the Cruciatus Curse, there are other ways to torture someone," he said as he again leered at Ginny.

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle soon disappeared off to the castle leaving Harry and Ginny to consider his words.

* * *

Several days later, Ginny woke up to find Hedwig sitting on her bed with a single fire rose. She took the rose from her and found a note attached.

 _Good morning Beautiful,_

 _Happy Valentine's, thank you for being such a wonderful person and loving wife. This is your special day and now you know what is behind the door._

 _Meet me down at the Quidditch pitch when you are ready._

 _Love_

 _Harry_

She felt terrible; she had completely forgotten about Valentine's and didn't have anything for Harry. She jumped out of bed and quickly dressed, so she could meet him.

' _Morning, Gin,_ ' Harry said as she got up.

' _Morning, Harry, I cannot believe I complete forgot Valentine's,_ ' she said.

' _Don't worry, Gin, I don't care as long as I get to spend the whole day with just you,_ ' he said.

' _I still feel terrible, Harry._ '

She rushed down to the pitch as soon as she could; thankfully it was a Saturday so they didn't have to worry about lessons. When she got there, Harry had another present for her. He handed her the present and watched with excitement as she opened it, she carefully pulled the wrapping off and squealed when she saw the Firebolt that Harry had given her.

She grabbed him into a hug and kissed him like she never had before; it was just as well she was outside, otherwise it may have been hard to stop.

She then noticed that Harry also had his Firebolt and realized that he had planned for them to fly. She jumped on her Firebolt and was soon zooming around the pitch, squealing with delight the faster she went. They flew around for an hour trying different moves; they played a game of tag too, and then Harry told her to follow him.

He led her to the top of the Gryffindor tower where she saw a table had been setup. Harry landed on the tower and she quickly followed him down. She looked at the table and Harry had arranged for all her favourite breakfast items, in the middle of the table was a bouquet of fire roses.

Harry offered Ginny a seat and then proceeded to sit down opposite her, and they started to eat breakfast.

"Oh, Harry, it's perfect," she said.

"I hope so, Gin; as I said before the whole day is planned out."

They continued to eat breakfast while looking out at the view the tower offered; luckily neither of them was afraid of heights as they were at the highest point of the whole castle.

"From up here even Hagrid looks small," joked Ginny a while later.

"Yes, it is quite funny; the Black Lake looks amazing, in fact you can just about make out where they are building some towers, I assume for the second task," said Harry.

She looked over at the lake and could see where Harry was pointing. "Wow, those look too small to be useful."

They finished breakfast at a leisurely pace; Harry had setup a blanket near the table so that they could relax together for a while, the next activity wasn't due to start for another hour so they just talked and kissed.

Right on queue, Fawkes and Xavier flashed into view and landed on the tower.

' _Good morning, Ginny, the second part of Harry's surprise is lessons with us. We are going to teach you how to fly as we do, and also how to flash to different locations,_ ' Xavier told her.

' _Thank you, oh, wow, this is going to be great._ '

They both transformed into their Phoenix forms.

' _Are you ready? You should find flying very natural, as you are both good on brooms. We are going to show you how to read the currents and how to use them properly,_ ' Xavier explained.

Over the next hour four Phoenixes were seen flying over the grounds of Hogwarts in what could only be described as an aerial ballet. Professor Dumbledore had been in his office when Fawkes disappeared. He wasn't surprised by this action as he had been out regularly with Xavier since he arrived at the school. He had often seen them flying around together, and found it quite relaxing to watch them and would always make some time to do so when Fawkes left. Today was no exception and as he settled down at the large window in his office he was very surprised to see not two but four Phoenixes.

After the first hour, the four Phoenixes landed on the Gryffindor tower and appeared to be talking to each other.

' _Now, to be able to flash, you need to imagine your destination. It helps if you have been there before, but it is not necessary. As you prepare to flash, your Phoenix magic will alert you to any dangers at the destination point,_ ' Xavier explained.

' _To start off, we are going to flash to a point above the Quidditch pitch. Focus your mind on the destination, and then as you are flying you have to will yourself to be at the destination,_ ' continued Xavier.

' _I see, it is like what we have read on Apparition,_ ' said Harry.

' _Yes, the concept is very similar but unlike Apparition, there is no way of stopping a Phoenix from getting to the destination,_ ' replied Xavier.

The four took off again and started to practice, it took several attempts before Harry was able to flash, and when he did he was over the moon.

' _Wow, that is amazing; it was so smooth,_ ' said Harry.

Ginny was able to do it very quickly after that as she could see just how Harry had done it.

' _Oh, this is so much better than any other form of travel,_ ' she exclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Dumbledore's office, he watching in fascination as the four Phoenixes continued to fly around and flash to different places, it seemed obvious that two of them were younger and that they were being trained, he had never heard of this before, but then so many strange things had happened this year he wasn't really surprised.

After three hours of training, the four Phoenixes returned to Gryffindor tower. What happened next would shock Dumbledore more than anything else that had happened since the Yule Ball. As he watched, two of the Phoenixes transform into Harry and Ginny Potter.

Before he could do anything, Fawkes appeared back in the room.

' _Albus, my friend, what you have just witnessed must remain a complete secret from anyone else,_ ' Fawkes said before Dumbledore could say anything.

' _I understand, my friend, you knew I was watching yet still allowed them to transform back? I don't understand why. If it needs to remain a secret, why show me?_ ' asked a confused Dumbledore.

' _Because of your actions, you have a lot of damage to repair with the two of them, my friend. You now have an opportunity to talk to them about what you saw and make an oath that you will never reveal it to anyone. I can promise you, that if you do, it will start to rebuild the trust between you,_ ' Fawkes told him.

' _Harry and Ginny are very special. They are the only humans to ever achieve the transformation into a Phoenix. Xavier and I have been tasked with training them to fully understand the true nature of a Phoenix. They have all the abilities that every Phoenix has._ '

' _Is this 'the power he knows not'?_ ' asked Dumbledore.

' _It is part of it, you are right, Albus the true power is love. Their love for each other is as pure as Phoenix love which is why they bonded and, why they were able to transform._ '

' _Thank you, my friend, I have a lot of things to think about._ '

' _Yes, you do, I will warn you that Phoenixes are very loyal to each other; more so than we are to our bonded humans,_ ' Fawkes told him.

' _Thank you, Fawkes, I understand._ '

Once they had transformed back, Harry grabbed their brooms and told Ginny to follow him. He jumped off the edge off the tower and halfway down started flying towards the Black Lake. It was just after noon and as they got closer to the lake, Ginny could see another table had been setup. They both landed near the table and Harry had again arranged for all her favourite food.

They had lunch as they continued to mind talk about their Phoenix lessons. They could hear Xavier flying over them; his song filled them with love and peace. As they were finishing lunch Hedwig arrived with a present for Ginny. She carefully opened it and found a heart charm for her bracelet. As she studied it, she could see the inscription H & G forever. She carefully placed the charm on the bracelet then got up and sat down in Harry's lap and proceeded to demonstrate just how much she appreciated all that he had done for her; almost an hour later they finally surfaced.

"Well, if that is how you are going to thank me each time, I am going to have to get you more presents," said Harry with a laugh.

"Oh, Harry, you don't have to get me presents to be rewarded like that," she told him with a very naughty smile.

"Mrs. Potter, are you flirting with me?"

"I do believe I was, Mr. Potter, what are you going to do about it?"

"Well, I think that you need to cool down a little," he said with a wicked smile.

Before she could do anything, he got up and proceeded to walk into the lake. She was about to protest when she noticed that he had transformed into his merman form, so she proceeded to do the same.

' _This was actually the next part of the day; I thought we could spend a few hours swimming,_ ' Harry told her as they proceeded deeper into the lake.

' _Thank you, Harry, I love swimming almost as much as I love flying,_ ' she told him.

' _I know, it is so relaxing when in this form; it's so effortless._ '

They proceeded to swim towards the mervillage in the lake; they had not been in the lake for a while and wanted to explore. When they got down there, they were greeted by the leader of the merpeople.

"Welcome to our village, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I am Morander" he said.

"Thank you, Morander, we hope that you don't mind our visit?" Harry replied.

"Not at all, Mr. Potter, we are honoured that you have made the effort to transform into one of us."

"Please call me, Harry, and this is Ginny."

"Thank you, Harry you honour us again; wizards don't care for our traditions and have rarely treated as equals before," Morander replied.

"Yes, that seems to be a common theme that I have noticed recently," said Harry.

"How do you mean, Harry, if you don't mind me asking?"

Harry proceeded to tell them all about what had happened with the house-elves at Potter Castle, and how he had decided he really didn't care about the laws of the Ministry.

"It is a shame that there are not more wizards like you and Ginny; I can see that you care a great deal for all magical creatures and not only by your words," replied Morander after Harry had finished talking.

"There are more like us, it's just most of them are so brainwashed by the Ministry that they blindly follow. I hope that one day they will wake up and see that we will be a much stronger community if we embrace our fellow magical creatures."

"We look forward to that day, Harry, and we offer our help to bring it about," Morander told him.

"Thank you, Morander, I will do everything in my power to reverse the laws that have caused the mistreatment you have received. Unfortunately it is not going to be an easy path."

They continued to talk for a while longer; Morander then took Harry and Ginny on a tour of the village and introduced them to several senior members of the tribe. Several hours later, they thanked them for their hospitality and returned to edge of the lake.

They transformed back as they got there, and were surprised and a little worried to see Professor Dumbledore waiting for them.

They quickly dried off as the Professor watched them; he didn't look angry so they decided to see what he had to say.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I trust you had a good time in the lake?" he asked.

"Good afternoon, Professor, yes we did, thank you," responded Ginny.

"Excellent, please don't look so worried, you are not in trouble. I wanted to talk to you about several things I witnessed today, and felt that it would be better to do it out here where no one could disturb us."

This actually worried them more, but they let the Professor continue. The Professor explained what he had witnessed, he quickly added that he was not going to tell anyone else and even swore an oath to that effect. This caused both of them to relax considerably. He then warned them to be careful if anyone had seen them enter the lake for that long would have been suspicious.

"Thank you, Professor, I didn't think about people watching from the castle. Xavier was flying above us during lunch and whilst we transformed so we knew no one was outside or close to us. We thought this area was reasonably well hidden from the castle too, but it seems that I was wrong," Harry explained.

"No, Harry, this is very well hidden; I believe that only a few places in the castle would be able to see down here. One of those is my office, so you shouldn't be too worried. And if anyone asks, you can just say that you cast a bubblehead charm once in the water and came up at several times around the lake."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said.

Harry then went on to talk about the meeting with Morander, and how they felt about the treatment they had received from wizards. Dumbledore thanked them for being honest with them and agreed that they would be a very useful ally in the future.

"Well, Professor, we need to get going, we need to change before heading for dinner this evening. We will both be leaving the castle and will be sure to return before breakfast tomorrow. Our destination is completely safe, and Xavier will be with us," Harry said.

"Thank you for telling me, Harry, I give you permission to leave and will advise Professor McGonagall that you will be back in the morning."

"Thank you, sir," they both said as they returned to the castle.

' _So, what should I wear, Mr. Potter?_ '

' _The robe from the Yule Ball, Mrs. Potter, this evening we will be having a private dinner followed by dancing at Potter Castle,_ ' Harry told her.

' _Oh, Harry, that is a perfect end to a wonderful day,_ ' replied Ginny as she kissed him.

She proceed to her room and started to get ready. She suddenly had a thought and called Sandy.

"Ginny called Sandy?" she said as she appeared in the room.

"Yes, Sandy, I forgot it was Valentine's day, and I need to find a gift for Harry. Would you be able to help?" asked Ginny.

"Of course, Ginny, what would you like to get?"

Ginny proceeded to describe a dragon skin suit that she had seen in Diagon Alley last summer. Sandy told her she would sort everything out and it would be ready at the castle when they arrived. Thankfully, Harry had been busy whilst this was going on so had not heard the conversation. Ginny constructed a door similar to the one Harry had before and stored the knowledge there so he would not find out until they got to the castle.

They met back in the common room a while later and proceeded to the study so they could portkey to Potter Castle.

Once they arrived at Potter Castle, Maxim greeted them an escorted them to the balcony for dinner. As they approached, Ginny saw Sandy standing off to the side with a package.

"Harry, thank you for today," said Ginny.

"Youre welcome, Ginny, it has the second best day of my life so far," he replied.

"I know it was a little last minute, but with Sandy's help, I was able to get you something," she said as Sandy presented the gift to Harry.

"Thank you, you really didn't have to Ginny," he said taking the gift.

"I know, Harry, but I felt so bad after all the effort you put into today. I wanted to do something nice in return."

He carefully opened the package and found the dragon skin suit inside.

"Oh, wow Ginny, this is amazing; thank you," he said as he pulled her into a tight hug and proceeded to kiss her senseless.

The rest of the evening flew past as they enjoyed dinner together and then spent several hours dancing, as the evening drew to a close, they both returned to the balcony. They settled down onto the blanket that Maxim had brought for them, and watched the stars until they both feel into a deep relaxing sleep.

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning with Ginny's head resting on his chest.

' _You know, Mrs. Potter, I could get used to waking up like this,_ ' he told her as she started to wake up.

' _Hmm, yes, I think I could too, Mr. Potter. You know we only promised my parent's that we would not have sex until I was sixteen, we never said anything about sleeping in the same bed,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _As lovely as sounds, Gin, I think it would be much harder to avoid the temptation,_ ' Harry said with a sigh.

' _I know, Harry; believe me, I know; it would have been so easy several times yesterday to say to hell with the promise._ '

' _I know, thankfully we were in public places most of the time,_ ' replied Harry.

Harry and Ginny finally got up and started to get ready; they had stopped worrying about seeing each other undressed as they had seen each other so many times though the bond that they shared the bathroom.

It was testament to how much they respected Arthur and Molly, that they had not yet been tempted when seeing each other naked when they were together. They quickly finished getting ready. Once they had thanked Maxim and the other elves for their help, they returned to Hogwarts in time for their morning run.

* * *

That evening at dinner, the seven members of The New Marauder's were waiting with anticipation. They had designed a perfect prank to pull on Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Dobby had been happy to help them and had made sure that their dinner had the necessary potions included.

They watched carefully as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle ate their food. Once they were certain that everything was ready, Harry wandlessly began the proceedings. With a large explosion above the Great Hall, another banner appeared saying "This evening's entertainment is brought to you by The New Marauder's, we hope that you all enjoy it." Unlike last time the banner didn't disappear but just waited there.

The whole hall was silent as everyone waited to see what would happen. Some were worried, especially the Slytherin's. But when nothing happened for a minute they thought that it was just a joke.

Suddenly, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle jumped onto the Slytherin table and started to sing the YMCA song. They sang each verse, performing the actions perfectly. By the time they had finished, all those who knew the song were singing along with them. Then they finally finished and rushed out of the hall completely humiliated.

It wasn't lost on those who knew the song, that the Marauders had chosen a Muggle classic for the prank and used purebloods from families that were known to support Voldemort.

* * *

The day of the second task had finally arrived, and Harry was as ready as he ever would be. Earlier in the day, Professor McGonagall had come to get Ginny so that she could be placed in the lake.

Everyone from the school made their way out to the great lake; Fred and George were taking bets on who would be first to complete the task and who would fail. The odds were a little extreme but it seemed that a lot of people were placing the bets. As Harry approached the main tower where the champions had to start he noticed a number of redheads present; he was pleased to see that most of the Weasley family had turned up to watch the task. He quickly greeted them.

Molly grabbed him into a tight hug; the others shook his hand and wished him good luck. The only person missing was Ron. It saddened Harry a little, but he wasn't going to let it affect him not today.

Finally, everyone had arrived and the four champions where ready to start the task. They were told they had an hour to complete the task and had to return to the start to win any points. All the champions were to start together and would be judged on several factors, including use of magic to stay underwater for an hour.

As soon as the cannon shot, Harry dove into the water transforming as he went. He was soon gliding through the water a full speed. He suspected that as the merpeople where guarding Ginny, and the others, that they would be somewhere near their village, so he headed directly towards the centre of the lake.

As he continued to swim he didn't encounter any problems. He thought that it was almost too easy after the dragon, but wasn't going to complain; the sooner that he got to Ginny, the sooner he could return and she would be fully awake again. They had agreed not to talk during the task unless it was an extreme emergency as they felt it would be unfair to the other champions. Harry had not seen any of the other champions after he had set off and hoped that they were doing well.

Finally, he arrived at the village; he saw that a group of merpeople had gathered in a clearing towards the edge of the village. He guessed that this would be where he would find Ginny and the others. As he approached the spot, he could see several tethers were attached to the ground, he looked up expecting to see Ginny but she was nowhere to be found.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

As Harry swam around trying to find Ginny, Morander approached him.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" asked Morander.

"What do you mean? I am here to get Ginny for the task," said Harry in a panic.

"But we were told two hours ago that there had been an accident and that you were not competing. One of our guards took Ginny back to the surface to go help you," said Morander obviously concerned.

"Where is the guard, we need to find out where he took her?" Harry asked getting more and more worried by the second.

Morander summoned the guard that had been watching Ginny, but he was nowhere to be found.

"I'm sorry, Harry, we are not able to locate the guard at the moment. We don't know what happened, but I promise you that we will use all of our resources to find her," said Morander as a large number of merpeople gathered.

"Thank you, Morander," replied Harry.

He could still sense her through the bond, but it was very weak; he hadnt noticed until she was missing that it was even weaker than it had been when she was first placed into the suspended state. He wasn't sure if that was because of the extended time, or if something else was causing it.

"Morander, we need to go back to the surface and talk with Dumbledore," said Harry as he started to leave.

"Yes, Harry, I will dispatch the search teams and will join you momentarily," answered Morander.

* * *

Xavier and Fawkes had been flying over the lake ever since Harry had entered the water; they were tracking his progress using their Phoenix magic. As soon as he got to the centre and discovered that Ginny was missing they realized that something terrible had happened and immediately disappeared in two flashes of light.

This had not gone unnoticed by Professor Dumbledore, but ever since Xavier arrived he had gotten used to it so wasn't too concerned.

' _Fawkes, I can still feel her in the bond but she is very weak,_ ' Xavier said as they appeared together in the Phoenix realm. As soon as they realized Ginny was missing, they knew they had to come here and report the incident. In the distance a large castle could be seen; it was more magnificent than anything ever seen in the human realm.

' _There must be something binding her human magic; the bond has now established itself on two levels since they completed the Phoenix transformation, they are also bonded as Phoenix mates. That is why you can still feel her,_ ' explained Fawkes.

' _It appears that she is unconscious at the moment as she is not responding to any attempts to communicate,_ ' replied Xavier.

' _That is most likely, although she is still not strong enough in her Phoenix magic to break whatever is binding her human magic, as they grow the Phoenix magic will become stronger,_ ' continued Fawkes.

They continued to fly towards the castle; the protections around the castle prevented even them from flashing closer.

' _I believe that whoever has captured her is not aware of the bond or her Phoenix abilities; unfortunately, whilst she is unconscious, she will not be able to help us search for her,_ ' Fawkes said as they entered the outer wall of the castle.

' _We are here; once we make our report to the King, we will be able to initiate the searching protocols and hopefully find her quickly before anything happens. Unfortunately, her Phoenix signature is weak at the moment, so it will make things difficult,_ ' Fawkes explained to Xavier.

They made their report to Archimedes, the Phoenix King; he had been closely following the progress of Harry and Ginny since they made the transformation to Phoenix form. He advised them that they had already started the search protocols, and dedicated all available resources to the search. He instructed them to return to the human realm as Harry would soon return from the lake and would need them to strengthen him.

* * *

Harry raced back to the surface as fast as he could; he transformed as he exited the water and landed on the deck of the start tower. Professor Dumbledore immediately realized something was wrong when Xavier and Fawkes arrived seconds later and started talking with Harry.

"Harry, what is going on?" asked the Professor.

"Ginny is missing, Professor. When I got down to the mervillage, Morander was surprised to see me, he then told me that someone had reported that I was not competing due to an accident. They were asked to return Ginny to the surface as I needed help. They cannot find the guard who was with her and are currently searching the lake; Morander is on his way up here now."

The twinkle in the Professor's eyes completely disappeared on hearing the news; he immediately dispatched his Patronus to summon the Aurors and former members of the Order of the Phoenix to begin searching for Ginny.

As soon as Harry had explained to the Professor, he attempted to use his Portkey to get to Ginny, but it didn't work.

' _Xavier, the Portkey isn't working?_ ' asked Harry.

' _They must have Anti-Portkey wards around the location. Once we have located her, we will have to flash in and rescue her,_ ' explained Xavier.

' _Isn't there anything else we can do; can't we locate her with Phoenix magic?_ '

' _Yes, Harry, we have already started searching, but without a general idea of where to look, it may take some time to find her,_ ' replied Xavier.

The Weasley's all gathered around Harry. They could tell that he was devastated that Ginny was missing, but were not sure what they could do to help at the moment.

"Harry, dear, can you feel her through the bond," whisper Molly.

"Yes, Molly, but the connection is very weak at the moment; I tried the Portkey and wherever she is has Anti-Portkey wards in place," explained Harry.

"As long as she is still there, then at least we have some hope of finding her. I am sure that Professor Dumbledore will use any resources needed to find her," Molly told him as they continue to comfort each other.

Meanwhile, the Weasley brothers approached Professor Dumbledore and asked how they could help in the efforts to find Ginny; they were quickly assigned tasks. The first priority was to get the other champions out of the lake before anything else happened. Morander had already dispatched guards to find and bring them back to the surface.

* * *

At Malfoy Manor Lucius Malfoy was celebrating; they had finally captured Harry Potter's girlfriend. She was currently being held deep in the bowels of his house. He was waiting for his son to return home so that he could claim his prize for his part in the kidnapping, if all went as planned, then they would also capture Harry Potter before this was all over, and Lord Voldemort would finally return.

The trap was set, if Harry Potter came anywhere near the house, then he would be captured. A number of the former death eaters were hidden around the manor, waiting - watching. The only way in was via the main gates, and then only after he himself had lowered the wards currently protecting the gates. Once Harry walked onto the manor grounds, they would let him get all the way into the house before trapping him.

When they had him, then they would force him to watch as Draco, and all of the other Death Eaters raped the Weasley bitch. Once they had finished with her they would then slit her wrists and let her die slowly as Harry watched helplessly. The plan was to break him completely so that when they finished performing the ritual to give Voldemort a new body, he would not even bother fighting and would just accept death.

Now, they just needed to wait for Harry Potter to arrive and then the plan would be put into action.

Finally Draco arrived.

"Father, they have all the Aurors looking for Miss Weasley; I left as soon as I could without raising suspicion," said Draco.

"Well done, son, finally you have been able to complete a task that was set for you. Why don't you go down and wake up our guest. Just remember, you are not to touch her until Potter gets here," warned Lucius.

"Yes, Father, can I at least look at the goods?" asked Draco as he licked his lips.

"Yes, Draco, if you think you can keep you hands off her."

Draco made his way down the stairs towards Ginny as Lucius disappeared into another room to make sure everything was ready for the ritual.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore was feeling his true age; he knew that Harry Potter didn't want Ginny involved in this task, but yet again he had let others dictate what would happen at his school, and yet again it had turned out badly for Harry.

He wasn't sure what to do at the moment; he had just asked all the teachers to bring the students to the Great Hall so that they could do a head count and find out if anyone was missing. That would give them some idea as to what could have happened or, could just as easily, add more mystery to the problem.

Morander had not been able to say who brought them the message, and they had not found the guard after several hours of searching. They suspected that whoever did this had killed the guard and removed him from the lake. The Aurors had not found anything either.

As the students gathered in the Great Hall, they were all speculating on what could have happened to Ginny Weasley, and who would have kidnapped her. The Professor made his way down to the Great Hall to speak to the students and teachers about what was happening and to ask for any information, regardless of how insignificant it may have seemed.

* * *

Back at Malfoy Manor, Draco revived Ginny; he had already removed most of her clothes before hand. He planned to remove the rest once she was awake so that she could suffer the humiliation of being stripped by her enemy.

"So, slut, I told you we would win in the end," sneered Malfoy as Ginny woke up.

"Go to hell, Malfoy," spat Ginny.

' _Ginny, oh thank god you're awake, where are you?_ ' asked Harry as she woke up.

' _Harry, what is happening?_ ' asked Ginny in a panic.

' _You have been kidnapped. Someone told the merpeople that I was injured and I needed your help. We didn't know who was involved, but it is clear now, Xavier and Fawkes are searching for you at the moment._ '

"Oh no, Weaslette it won't be me that is going to hell. Once we have had our pleasure, you will be begging us to kill you," said Malfoy as he licked his lips again.

"That's what you think, Malfoy; once Harry gets here we will see just who will be begging to be killed," replied Ginny.

"You don't get it do you? If he is even smart enough to work out where you are, he is walking into a trap. Once he gets here, we are going to put on a little show for him," sneered Malfoy as he went on to describe just what they planned to do with her.

' _Ginny, keep him talking. The longer he does, the more he is likely to tell you. They obviously don't know about the bond so we have an advantage,_ ' Harry told her.

"So, where is _here_ anyway, Malfoy?" asked Ginny.

"Why should I tell you?" asked Malfoy.

"Why not, Malfoy? It isn't like I can tell anyone is it? At the moment I don't seem to be able to even do magic, so what is the danger, if you are going to kill me anyway?" reasoned Ginny.

"True. Very well, since you want to know what your final resting place will be, we are currently in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. They are well hidden and no-one has ever found them, so we are quite safe here," boasted Malfoy.

"As to your magic, Father placed a binding spell on you when you got here. You are nothing more than a Squib now, and only he can release it," continued Malfoy.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry was jotting everything Malfoy was saying down, whilst he formulated a plan to rescue Ginny.

' _Xavier, can we flash straight into the room where Ginny is?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Yes, Harry, Fawkes and I have located exactly where she is and we can get into the room. The only problem may be the binding magic. We may need to get the information from Lucius to release her from it,_ ' explained Xavier.

' _Thank you, we are leaving immediately. I don't know how much longer Ginny can keep him talking, and I don't want him anywhere near her longer than necessary. Xavier, can you please come and get me? Fawkes, can you please get the headmaster and follow us?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Yes, Harry, we are both on our way. Fawkes will explain everything on the way,_ ' answered Xavier.

Professor Dumbledore was addressing the students in the Great Hall when two flashes of fire announced the arrival of Xavier and Fawkes. Before anyone could respond, Harry Potter jumped out of his seat and disappeared with Xavier. A second later, Professor Dumbledore disappeared with Fawkes, leaving a stunned and speechless hall.

* * *

At Malfoy Manor, Draco Malfoy was continuing to speak. The gloating seemed to give him more glee than anything. He was more than willing to give away lots of very useful information about their plans. He was boasted of how they were going to use Harry's blood in a ritual to restore Voldemort's body. He also preened when he bragged about how he would be in the inner circle for his involvement in the plot to restore Lord Voldemort.

"You see, Weaslette, it is too late for you. It's a pity really, as you would have been a good breeder for the new order; but we cannot have blood traitors - even if they are pureblood," announced Malfoy.

Whilst Malfoy continued speaking, he never noticed the appearance of Harry, Professor Dumbledore, or the two Phoenixes in the room.

"Don't worry, Malfoy, you will never get the pleasure of experiencing what I have to offer. There's only one person that will ever get that, and he happens to be standing right behind you," announced Ginny with a smile.

"Oh, very funny, Weaslette. There is no way Harry Potter or any of those fools are getting down here. There are a good number of Death Eaters hiding around the manor, and as soon as they walk in, they will strike. I am afraid that there is no one to help you, Weaslette. Now, I believe I will finish unwrapping my prize so that I can admire it."

"I don't think so, Malfoy. As she said, there will only be one person who gets that privilege," said Harry from directly behind him.

Malfoy spun around as fast as he could, but was unable to do anything as he saw the wands of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore pointed directly at him. In his panic, he managed to pee himself and then promptly fainted. Dumbledore stunned him to be certain he wasn't faking, and then bound him and checked for any Portkeys. They were not letting him get away this time.

Meanwhile, Harry rushed over to Ginny and gently removed the bounds that held her. He pulled her into a hug and they both collapsed on the floor for a while, tears streaming down both of their faces.

' _I thought I had lost you,_ ' cried Harry.

' _I was so scared when I woke up here. I am glad that we had the bond, otherwise you may have never found me,_ ' sobbed Ginny into his chest.

' _Well, we have you now. Professor Dumbledore is going to try to remove the bind on your magic. If that doesn't work, then we are going to need to find Lucius so we can find out what he did,_ ' explained Harry.

' _Okay, as long as you stay with me,_ ' said a scared Ginny.

' _I am not going anywhere, darling._ '

Draco slowly woke up wondering what had happened to him; then he remembered. He looked around and noticed that Ginny had been released, and that he was very tightly bound.

"You may have beaten me, Potter, but once my Father and his friends find you. They will deal with you properly," sneered Malfoy.

Harry didn't bother responding, just looked at him and started probing his mind; he had a very basic shield.

"Sorry, Potter, you won't be getting anything from my mind. Father taught me years ago how to protect it."

Harry again didn't bother replying; he just smashed through the shield with hardly any extra effort and found out that it was Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson, who were involved in the plot to kidnap Ginny. What surprised him most was the fact that Professor Snape had known about it and had done nothing. Harry quickly withdrew from Malfoy's mind.

"Thank you, Malfoy, that was very helpful," laughed Harry.

Malfoy promptly fainted again when he realized that he was nowhere near as strong as he thought.

As Harry and Ginny continued to comfort each other, Professor Dumbledore approached them and started to scan Ginny to find out what Malfoy Sr. had done. He quickly determined that he would not be able to remove the bind on her magic without knowing exactly what he did.

"Harry, Ginny, I am hesitant to even attempt to remove the bind until we know what Lucius did to you. If we do this incorrectly it could kill you, or worse, remove all your magic forever," explained the Professor.

"Okay, Professor, then we need to get him," said Harry.

' _Xavier, can you get him for us?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Yes, Harry,_ ' replied Xavier as he disappeared again.

"Xavier is going to bring him down here, Professor. I don't believe that he will give us the information willing, so we are going to have to get it out of him," explained Harry.

Moments later, a very confused Lucius Malfoy appeared in the room. He immediately noticed his son on the floor and before he could react, had been disarmed by Harry Potter. In his flustered state, Lucius had failed to notice Albus Dumbledore standing in the corner of the room.

"So, Potter, you chose to join us then. I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time. It's a pity my son was so weak, but you will find that you will not escape this time. Once we are finished with you, Lord Voldemort will be back and you will join your parents," stated Lucius in a confident voice.

As Malfoy spoke, Harry tested his mind defenses to see what level he was. He was strong, but not nearly as strong as Snape or Dumbledore.

"Sorry, Potter, but you will have to try a lot harder than that if you are going to access my mind. It is very well protected and you will never find out what I did to that stupid girlfriend of yours. You know, she would have made a very nice trophy for Draco, but I guess he failed there too. He couldn't even manage to remove her clothes when she was unconscious."

"Well, I think that is because he prefers to remove boy's clothes, Mr. Malfoy," said Harry in a mocking voice.

"What are you talking about, Potter?" sneered Malfoy.

"Do I really need to spell it out for you, Mr. Malfoy?" laughed Harry.

This enraged Lucius, and he produced a second wand and proceeded to cast the Cruciatus Curse directly at Harry.

"You fool, Potter, did you really think that I would only have one wand," laughed Malfoy.

However he was very quickly silenced when a shield appeared in front of Harry and absorbed the curse.

"Th... that is impossible! Nothing can stop the Unforgivables," shouted Malfoy.

"As I told your son recently, Mr. Malfoy, if you know how to do magic properly, then it isn't impossible; just as this isn't impossible," Harry said as he launched a full forced attack on his mind.

The elder Malfoy was stunned that Harry had not only broken through his shield, but had completely destroyed it. Lucius could do nothing to stop Harry from accessing everything; most of it secrets that would surely land him in Azkaban for a very long time.

Harry found the information he needed regarding the binding curse that had been used on Ginny, the counter-curse was very simple and they would be able to release her magic. Harry also found a wealth of other information, including the fact that Lucius has been abusing Narcissa since they had been married, had offered her to other death eaters for their pleasure. He found that Malfoy currently had several young Muggle girls in Malfoy Manor that he used for his own pleasure. He also saw what Malfoy was planning to do with Ginny once Harry arrived at the Manor. It made him feel sick, but he proceeded to probe. He found that Lucius had a secret room under main table in the dining room which held a lot of dark objects. He also found that he had indeed been bribing Minister Fudge, and had all the details that would allow Griphook to investigate this further. Finally, Harry found out that Peter Pettigrew and the deformed form of Lord Voldemort, were currently in the manor waiting for the ritual to be performed.

Once Harry had finished probing Malfoy's mind, he explained to Professor Dumbledore what he had discovered about the curse on Ginny, and what needed to be done to remove it. They quickly performed the counter-curse and Harry confirmed that she was back to normal as the bond returned to full strength.

' _Oh, thank god,_ ' said Harry as he started pouring all of his love for Ginny into the bond.

' _Yes,_ ' was all Ginny could say at the moment, as she was slightly overwhelmed by the intensity of the love Harry was sending her.

They both sat there for several long minutes. Ginny was quickly recovering from the ordeal, mostly because of the love that Harry was sharing.

' _Thank you, Harry, I can't express at the moment just how much this means to me,_ ' Ginny said after a while.

' _You know how I feel about you, Ginny, I don't know what I would have done if we couldn't release your magic,_ ' stated Harry.

' _I knew you would be able to, Harry,_ ' she said.

' _Thank you,_ ' replied Harry as he leaned in to kiss her.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore had secured the two Malfoy's in the Dungeon. They needed to determine the best course of action regarding the events, they needed to get word back to Hogwarts that Ginny was safe, and that those responsible had been captured.

"Harry, can you tell me if you learnt anything else from Malfoy?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, Professor," Harry said as he proceeded to tell Dumbledore everything of relevance, he chose not to say anything about the bribery at the moment as wanted to discuss that with Griphook.

"We need to summon the Aurors so that they can search the house; with the information you have provided, there should be no way that either of the Malfoy's will ever get out of Azkaban."

"I agree, Professor; however based on what has happened in the past with them, I would not be surprised if they managed to get around some of the charges," said Harry.

"True, we will see what happens," replied the Professor.

Before they could continue, Xavier flashed back into the room. He had disappeared soon after they release Ginny's magic.

' _Harry, it appears that the Death Eaters and Voldemort have left. Someone must have seen me grab Malfoy and the anti-Portkey wards have also been removed,_ ' explained Xavier.

' _Thank you, Xavier,_ ' answered Harry.

"Professor, Xavier just advised me that the Death Eaters and Voldemort have left Malfoy Manor," Harry said.

"Thank you, Harry; I guess they have realized something was wrong. Oh well, at least the Aurors will be able to sort out everything else. I would like you both to return to Hogwarts so that Madam Pomfrey can check Ginny, and you can tell your family that she is okay," Dumbledore told them.

With that Harry and Ginny transformed into their Phoenix form and with Xavier disappeared from the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Back at Hogwarts, everyone was still in the Great Hall; Professor McGonagall had reassured them that Fawkes would never leave with Professor Dumbledore unless it was an emergency, and that the best option would be for them to wait here until he returned.

The Weasley's were all sitting in the corner of the room talking; the only two missing where Ron and of course Ginny. Molly had tears streaming down her face; she couldn't believe that her little girl was missing. The only comfort she had was that Harry had still been able to detect her through the bond so she was at least alive still.

"I can't stand this any more!" said Bill Weasley as he started to stand up.

"What can we do, Bill?" asked Charlie.

"There must be something we can do; they have been gone for ages!"

"But we have no clue where they went. The Phoenixes would not have taken them unless it was absolutely necessary," stated Arthur.

He paced angrily. "I know, Dad; it is just so frustrating!" Bill raged.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Ginny's dorm room, the three Phoenixes arrived. Ginny quickly grabbed some fresh clothes, and went to get changed.

' _I need a shower, Harry; I feel disgusting just having been near Malfoy._ '

' _I understand, Gin. Take as long as you need,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Please, can you come in the room with me? I just don't want to be away from you at the moment,_ ' she said.

' _Yes, Gin. Ill stay in the room,_ ' Harry replied.

Ginny quickly took her shower and got ready. Once she had finished, she took Harry's hand and headed towards her dorm room.

' _Thank you, Harry,_ ' said Ginny again.

' _You're welcome, Ginny; I am just sorry you had to even go through this ordeal._ '

' _I know, Harry; I can feel how angry you are about it all. I feel the same way._ '

Once they arrived in the dorm room, Ginny deposited her dirty clothes in the laundry basket and then they asked Xavier to flash them to the Great Hall.

* * *

Back at Malfoy Manor, the Aurors were performing a complete search of the house. They had located the girls who were being held against their will. They quickly determined that each of the girls had been raped multiple times, by not only Lucius Malfoy, but several other known Death Eaters. Unfortunately for the Death Eaters, they never expected the girls to be found or freed so had never taken any precautions when talking around them. They used their own names all the time and boasted of their various exploits. It turned out that Lucius Malfoy held regular parties for the former Death Eaters and the girls were always the entertainment for the evening. They had also found that that the Death Eaters had been responsible for murdering their families.

Professor Dumbledore gently probed their minds whilst they were being interviewed, and confirmed the names of the Death Eaters that had been mentioned. To his horror, he also found that Professor Snape had been present and involved in the activities at least twice, but never used his own name.

They also found Narcissa locked in a room. As soon as they released her, she was very happy to guide the Aurors around the house. The gathered evidence was substantial, and there would be very little anyone could do to stop both Malfoy's from going to prison.

Albus Dumbledore handed Lucius and Draco Malfoy over to the Aurors and told them to take both directly to the Ministry. He would convene a full meeting of the Wizengamot immediately so that they could be dealt with.

The Aurors were only too happy to take them into custody having heard what had been done to the young girls they had rescued. They had their own ideas as to what should be done with both of the men, but knew that they would not do anything as they didn't want them to have any reason that would allow them to avoid prison.

* * *

In the Great Hall, everyone watched in amazement as a Phoenix flashed into the room with Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.

The family were out of their seats immediately and had completely surrounded the young couple; they made no attempts to separate them.

"Oh, thank you, Harry; you brought my baby back," said Molly as she smothered them both in a large hug.

"Mum, we do need to breath," said Ginny a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Molly replied as she released them. The rest of the family proceeded to hug them too.

They were soon joined by the New Marauders; the chatter had returned to the Great Hall. Ginny Weasley was safe; the only questions on everyone's mind was what had happened, and where was Professor Dumbledore.

Harry knew he would have to say something, but he didn't really want to. He slowly stood up keeping a firm grip on Ginny's hand and faced the other students.

"As you can see, Ginny is back; thankfully we were able to find and rescue her before they could really do anything to her. I will say this only once so please listen carefully; after I tell you what happened we are not going to discuss this any further, so don't bother asking."

"I am sure you are all interested to know what happened. Someone sent a message to the merpeople in the lake that I had been injured and would not be competing in the task. When the merpeople returned Ginny to the surface, she was kidnapped and taken to Malfoy Manor. I won't explain what happened there except that Xavier, my Phoenix, was able to locate her and that was where Professor Dumbledore and I disappeared to earlier. Both of the Malfoy's have been arrested and will be charged with a number of crimes including the kidnapping of Ginny."

The hall was completely silent as everyone digested what they had just learnt.

"Professor Dumbledore is currently dealing with the Aurors who are searching Malfoy Manor. I will tell you this, Draco Malfoy loves to boast, and whilst he took most of the credit for what happened he did mention several other names who were involved."

Harry didn't bother saying any more but he did look directly at Professor Snape after finishing that sentence, and he could see that the Professor understood that he had found out about his involvement. Harry noticed that Snape suddenly looked very unwell and quickly looked away. Harry projected a thought to Snape; he wasn't sure if it would work.

' _Professor, I will deal with you later._ '

Harry could tell that it had worked when Snape's head snapped back up in shock.

Professor McGonagall quickly dismissed the rest of students and told them to return to their common rooms; she warned them that any student found outside their common room before dinner would be punished.

* * *

The Weasley's, Harry and the other members of the New Marauder's made their way to the infirmary so that Madam Pomfrey could check Ginny. Once they had finished and Ginny had been given a clean bill of health, Harry took them all to the Founder's Study.

"What is this place, Harry," asked Molly.

"This is the Founder's Study; it was created by the founders when they created the school and can only be opened by an heir of the founders," explained Harry.

"Wow, this place is great," said Bill as he returned from one of the side room.

"Yes, we have been using it since we returned from the Burrow just after Christmas," replied Harry.

They all settled down in the main room which produced enough seats for all of them, Harry explained that the school responded to their needs which was were the pool and spell rooms had come from.

"I don't know about you lot, but I am starving," said Ginny.

Everyone agreed with her, Harry called for Maxim.

"You called, Harry?" asked Maxim as he appeared.

"Yes, Maxim; we have our family and friends here today and need something to eat, please; could you arrange for lunch to be served?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Harry, I will return shortly with lunch for everyone," Maxim answered and then promptly disappeared.

"Harry, I didn't know you had a house-elf," said Molly.

Before Harry could answer however, ten house-elves appeared in the room carrying a large array of food items and drinks. A large table appeared along one of the walls in the room and was soon loaded with food.

"Thank you, we appreciate all your work," said Harry just before they all disappeared again.

"Bloody hell," Bill and Charlie said together.

This caused Molly to berate her sons for their language, and the others to burst out laughing.

"Just how many house-elves do you have, Harry?" asked Molly.

"Fifty," replied Harry.

"What can you possible do with fifty, house-elves?" asked Molly.

"Well, Potter Castle is rather large," explained Harry.

"What do you mean Potter Castle?" asked everyone in the room.

"Look, there are some things that we haven't talked about yet. Why don't we have some food and then we will explain everything," suggested Harry.

This caused a few strange looks from several of the family there.

After they had enjoyed lunch, they all settled down to listen to Harry's story.

"Before we tell you this, we need you each to promise never to reveal what is said in this room to anyone," stated Harry.

All those who had not previously promised made an oath with Harry. He also asked each of them if they knew Occlumency; thankfully all the others did and had strong shields already.

"Well, I guess we should start at the beginning," said Harry he was slightly nervous about telling Ginny's older brothers, but they decided it was time and she trusted them.

Harry went on to tell them how he had started to notice his feelings for Ginny had been changing, told them about his fear of the reaction of Ron, which they all sighed about as he was still being stupid about it. He proceeded to tell them everything that happened including the bonding and all the events that followed that. He could see that neither Bill or Charlie had been told exactly what Ron had done that caused him to be home from school.

They both turned to their parents, "Why didn't you tell us that Ron attacked Ginny as well?" asked Bill.

"We were already dealing with it and didn't want to have to worry about your reactions; we are sorry, we should have told you before now," answer Arthur.

"It is just as well he isn't here," Bill replied.

"Guys, I know how you feel, believe me; having spent several days recovering and the rest of the week in the infirmary with Harry, but that is past us now." said Ginny.

They all settled down and waited for Harry to continue.

"There are several things that we have not told anyone except for Molly and Arthur about our bond," Harry said.

"We both felt that it was time to tell you but as we said before it must remain a complete secret, and I am sure you will understand why once we have explained," Harry continued.

They all again confirmed they would not talk to anyone.

"Well, firstly the bonding basically means that Ginny and I are married," said Harry a little nervously.

He could see that reaction from the brothers but was pleased to see that Molly was the first to respond.

"Before any of your say a word let me assure you that Arthur and I have discussed this fully with both Ginny and Harry and they have given us their word that they will not be consummating the marriage until Ginny is at least sixteen." Molly told them.

Both Harry and Ginny blushed deep red at that comment; they had hoped she wouldn't say that. They could see the twins looking very happy all of a sudden.

"And before you get any ideas, Fred and George, you are not to prank either of them," said Molly in a voice that indicated that they would have hell to pay if they did.

"Oh, mum, you spoil all the fun; we were just going to make sure that Harry had 'The Talk'. After all, he is married to our baby sister," said George.

"Don't worry, we have taken care of that also," said Molly.

Harry and Ginny just groaned after that, wishing the ground would open up and swallow them.

"Anyway, enough of that conversation," said Ginny.

"Yes, the other main thing about the bond is the fact that we are now legally classed as adults," said Harry.

"So, you mean to tell us that you don't have any restrictions on under-age magic," said Fred nervously.

"That's right, Fred, we don't" said Ginny in a voice that made Fred audible gulp.

"I think George, that we are going to need to find a new test subject for our pranks," said Fred.

Everyone burst out laughing at that comment.

The group continued to talk for several more hours; they had all decided to stay for dinner that evening so Harry arranged for Maxim to bring more food.

"Harry, can I talk with you," said Bill a little later.

"Sure, Bill," Harry said as he followed him into one of the other room.

"Firstly, I wanted to thank you again for saving Ginny; I know you are married to her and she means a lot to you, but she is our sister too, and she means a lot to us," Bill said.

"Bill, I would do anything for Ginny short of dying, and that is only because it would kill her too," replied Harry.

"I have to say that I wasn't happy when you announced that you were married, but once mum said that you had agreed to wait, I was a little happier about it."

"Bill, would it make you feel better if I told you it was actually Ginny and I that made that decision even before we told your parents?" asked Harry.

"Yes, it does, Harry; wow, that is a very mature decision to make. I have to confess I may not have been that strong," said Bill with a smile.

At that moment Ginny came into the room and sat down on Harry's lap.

"Hi, Bill, I decided to join you rather than just listen in," she said.

He looked at her for a second and it dawned on him, "you share everything don't you?"

"Yes, we do. There are things about the bond that we have not told other people, and there will be some aspects we will never share," explained Ginny.

"Well, thank you for sharing this part of it, I am honoured" stated Bill.

"There is one more secret that we wanted to share with you. Some of the others already know this, but not everyone yet," said Ginny.

With that, Harry and Ginny both transformed into their Phoenix form, and looked on with amusement as Bill literally fell out of his chair.

"That is bloody brilliant," he said when they transformed back.

"Yes, it is, isn't it? Do you know what is even more brilliant?" asked Ginny.

"I have no clue what could be more brilliant than that," said Bill.

With that they both transformed into their deer forms, and watched again as Bill took several steps back in amazement.

"I didn't even know it was possible to do the Phoenix form, but you have two forms."

"Actually, we are the only one's to ever do the Phoenix, and we have eight forms," answered Ginny.

Bill was speechless, his mouth kept moving like a fish but he wasn't saying anything.

"Ah, Gin. I think we broke him," said Harry.

"It would appear so Harry. Oh well, we have the pool in the other room; maybe we should throw him in there as he appears to have changed into a fish at the moment," laughed Ginny.

Bill just glared at them for a second before laughing himself.

"Was there anything else you wanted to discuss Bill," asked Ginny.

"Actually, there is. The Goblins have asked me to move back to England; it appears that a certain account holder had rather an impact on them. They wanted a wizard to work with the account manager on an investigation they are doing," Bill told them.

"And, I assume that account holder is me," said Harry.

"Yes, Harry; they have asked me to head up the investigation into the dealings of your Uncle," Bill told him.

"That's great, Bill, you don't mind do you?" asked Harry.

"No, Harry, I don't. I have wanted to come back for a while and this is the perfect chance."

They soon returned to the main study and found that Maxim had brought them all dinner, and the table had been placed in the middle of the room so they all took a seat and settled down. It wasn't lost on Molly when Harry proceeded to pull out Ginny's seat and make sure she was settled before taking his own seat.

'Such a gentleman,' she thought to herself as she fell further in love with her son-in-law.

Before they started to eat, Bill got up and raised his glass.

"I think that before we eat, we need to make a toast," said Bill

Everyone quickly stood up again and raised their glasses.

"To Harry and Ginny," Bill said.

"Harry and Ginny," everyone repeated.

"Before you sit down I would also like to make a toast," said Harry.

"To Family," he said as he deliberately looked each person at the table in the eye, letting them all know he considered them his family.

"Family," everyone again repeated.

They all sat back down and proceeded to eat dinner; again, Maxim and the elves had outdone themselves; it was an amazing meal.

* * *

The next morning Professor Dumbledore had arrived back at the school. He had not spoken to anyone since leaving the previous day, except for Professor McGonagall, and that was just to tell her he was back. Now he had a very important issue to deal with. He needed to confront his Potions Professor on what he had seen when interviewing the girls at Malfoy Manor. He was not looking forward to this; he had trusted the Professor for many years and needed him.

A few minutes later a knock came at the door.

"Come in, Severus," answered Professor Dumbledore.

"Good Morning, Albus how are you today?" asked Snape.

"I am not doing very well, actually," answered Dumbledore.

"What happened yesterday, Albus? You were gone all day, even after Potter returned."

"We had a lot to deal with, Severus; both of the Malfoy's have been sent to Azkaban for life. The evidence against them and several others was overwhelming," Albus told him.

"I see, and what may I ask can I help you with today?"

"During our search of Malfoy Manor, we found several young girls who were being held against their will. During our interview with them, I used Legilimency to determine who had raped them," answered Albus.

Upon hearing this Severus suddenly looked very pale and nervous; he already knew what Albus was going to say to him and he really had no excuses. Yes, he had made some mistakes and had been at the manor on two occasions, and had been involved in the activities that had happened during those parties.

"I suppose I have some explaining to do?" answered Snape.

"Yes, Severus, it would seem that way. But before that I need to know if you have ever done anything like that to a student at the school?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, Albus; I have never done anything like that. I am willing to lower my shields and allow you full access if you would like to verify that."

"I will take you up on that offer. I wish I could trust you, but after seeing the memories of those girls I need to be certain."

With that Dumbledore accessed Severus's mind and after almost an hour of searching was convinced of two things. The most important of which was the fact that Snape and not done anything to a student at the school. He also saw that Snape had not wanted to attack those girls at the parties but felt that to keep in contact with the Death Eaters; he had no choice but to get involved.

"Thank you, Severus. We still have to deal with the other issue. I saw that you only attacked the girls as you didn't want to risk blowing your cover, but surely it would have been better to say that something kept you at the school than to go to the party in the first place; you knew what might happen?" asked Albus.

"Yes, Albus; it would have been better, and that was what I did after the second party. I honestly didn't expect them to do that after the first time. When it happened at the second party, I always made sure we had a meeting on the night of the party, so if anyone asked, I could honestly tell them we had a meeting at the school."

"This really puts me in a difficult position Severus. Technically you should face trail for your actions. However, as you said, you didn't want to blow your cover, which you would have done if you had left, or if you turned in any of the others." Albus told him.

Before they could proceed with the conversation however, Harry Potter arrived in the room with Xavier.

"Sorry to interrupt your discussion, Professor Dumbledore; Godric just told me that you were having a discussion with Professor Snape," Harry said after arriving.

"That is correct, Harry, can I ask why you needed to be here for this?" asked Dumbledore.

"Professor, I learnt yesterday whilst viewing Draco's memories that Professor Snape knew of the plot to kidnap Ginny well before it happened, yet he did nothing to warn us before or help after. I would like to know why?" Harry told him.

Professor Snape didn't respond immediately, and for once didn't have his normal sneer when it came to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, firstly I would like to apologize to both you and Miss. Weasley. I know my actions don't exactly backup my words, but I can explain," Snape told him.

"Well, in that case, Professor, I believe that Ginny should be here too, as she was the one that had to suffer the most during this whole incident," said Harry. While he was talking, Xavier disappeared and a moment later Ginny was in the room with them.

"Ginny, Professor Snape is going to explain to us why he didn't do anything to stop the incident from happening," Harry said for Snape's benefit as he didn't know about the bond.

"Miss. Weasley, as I told Mr. Potter, I am sorry that I didn't do anything to help before or after you were kidnapped. Unfortunately, I recently learnt that Lord Voldemort was at Malfoy Manor and that he suspected that I was working for Professor Dumbledore. When I learnt of the plot against you, I wasn't sure how to proceed. If I had warned you at all then his suspicions would have been confirmed and we would have lost a valuable spy; but I also knew that not warning you would put Miss. Weasley in danger."

' _That does make sense, and we do need a spy; particularly now that they have disappeared again and we know of the plot to bring Voldemort back,_ ' said Ginny.

' _Yes, that is true._ '

"Thank you, Professor; that also explains why you didn't help afterwards as if they had found out too soon it would have pointed to you. That may still be an issue anyway because I believe we arrived much sooner than they expected," said Harry.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, that was my concern too; however, I was in contact with several Slytherin students the whole time after Miss. Weasley disappeared, so that will be less of an issue. The fact that no one knew what had happened after you and Professor Dumbledore disappeared also helps."

"Professor, we are both willing to forgive you on two conditions," stated Harry.

"I am listening, Mr. Potter," answered Snape.

"Firstly, that you swear an unbreakable vow that all your future actions will be for the benefit of the light, and secondly that you will grade our work fairly in the official school record even if you don't put the grades on the papers," suggested Harry.

Professor Snape considered what Harry had said for a few minutes and looked up.

"I have done you a great disservice in the way I have treated you, Mr. Potter. Unfortunately I let my feelings towards your father cloud my judgement and automatically assumed that you would follow in his footsteps. However, you have proved once again that you are more like you mother. Most people who had been treated as you have would not have been so forgiving and make such simple demands as you have."

"The first is easy to answer; I have already made the same promise to Professor Dumbledore and am happy to renew it, the second, I agree to treat both of you fairly in your work and I will say that since Christmas I have noticed a marked improvement."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry and Ginny said together.

"I will warn you both that during classes I will need to treat you in the same way as before so we can keep my cover; also whenever you complete your potions please ensure to create two vials so that occasionally if I need to destroy one for show I can still mark it," Snape told them.

"That is acceptable, Professor," answered Harry.

With that Harry and Ginny left with Xavier to allow the two Professors to finish their discussion. The Professor's quickly concluded their meeting when Snape promised to never be involved in the sexual activities of the Death Eaters unless there was absolutely no way of avoiding it without blowing his cover.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Harry and Ginny returned to the study after the meeting with the Professors; the only Weasley left was Bill as everyone else had returned home after dinner the previous evening. Bill had stayed at the school as he wanted to meet with Harry about his Uncle to find out some more. He had found out some information from Griphook, but wanted to talk about everything with Harry.

"Bill, can we meet after breakfast, I have another investigation that I would like to discuss with you," asked Harry.

"That would be perfect, Harry," answered Bill.

They all headed down to breakfast and Bill decided to join them at the Gryffindor table rather than sit at the head table. Whilst they were eating, Fleur Delacour came up.

"Harry, how are you both doing?" asked Fleur.

"Fleur, we are doing very well, thank you," answered Harry.

"I am just glad that they cancelled the task as soon as you reported Ginny missing, and have decided to award full points to each of us so we don't have to worry about the task again," said Fleur.

"Yes, mind you they didn't have much choice, after what happened to Ginny," answered Harry.

For some reason, Fleur didn't seem to want to leave the table.

' _Harry, I believe that she wants you to introduce her to Bill,_ ' Ginny told him.

' _Why would she want that,_ ' asked Harry.

Then he looked up and noticed that both of them were looking at each other. He knew that look; it was the one he had often had when he looked at Ginny before the Yule ball. He only found out afterwards when he saw Ginny's memories of him.

' _Oh, I see, well that is certainly interesting isn't it,_ ' said Harry.

' _Yes, very interesting._ '

"I'm sorry, Fleur, where are my manners; I would like to introduce Ginny's brother, Bill Weasley," Harry said as he introduced Bill.

"It's nice to meet you, Bill," said Fleur.

"Good to meet you too. Fleur," answered Bill.

Before they knew it, Fleur sat down at the table too and proceeded to talk with Bill for the rest of breakfast. They quickly discovered they had a lot of similar interests and hit it off very well.

As they continued to eat breakfast the morning post started to arrive and Harry noticed Hedwig was carrying a _Daily Prophet_.

 **Malfoys sent to Azkaban** **  
** ** **by Rita Skeeter****

 **After a trial of short duration yesterday, Lucius and Draco Malfoy were sentenced to life in Azkaban for multiple counts of rape, abuse, keeping illegal dark objects, the kidnap of Miss Weadley, and a number of other crimes. The evidence presented was gathered during the investigation into the kidnapping of Virginia Molly Weadley daughter of Ministry Official Arthur Weadley, who disappeared during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament currently being held at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.**

 **During the course of the investigation, it became clear that Mrs. Malfoy was also a victim of both her husband and son. In accordance with the marriage agreement between the Black and Malfoy houses the marriage has been annulled. The currently location of Ms. Black is unknown at this time.**

 **The Daily Prophet has also been advised that several other people have been implicated during investigation and that warrants for their arrest had also been issued during the hearing. The names have been withheld pending the arrests to avoid any escaping. We have been told that the evidence against each of these is just as compelling as that which was presented today.**

 **Albus Dumbledore, when asked about the charges against the Malfoys, had this to say, "Never, in all my years in the Wizengamot, have I had to deal with a list of crimes so disturbing. The evidence is concrete. Having interviewed several of the rape victims myself, I can tell you that we have done the wizarding and Muggle world a great service by removing these monsters from our streets."**

 **Several members of the Wizengamot who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the evidence was overwhelming. Minister Fudge was unavailable for comment. However, this reporter has dug up evidence of cooperation between the wizarding world's highest office and the Malfoy family.**

 **Madam Bones who is currently Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had this to say after the case, "I would like to thank each of the Aurors who handled this case. I have spoken with them individually and the scenes they found at Malfoy Manor were disturbing to say the least. One Auror said that it took a lot of effort to not hex Mr. Malfoy on the spot when Albus Dumbledore handed him over to be arrested."**

 **Story continues on page 4...**

"I'm going to kill her," stated Ginny after reading the article.

"It could have been worse, Ginny, at least she only got your name wrong and spelt your last name incorrectly. She could have done much worse," said Harry.

Ginny didn't bother responding and just huffed.

After breakfast they returned to the study so that they could meet with Bill.

"Bill, we know you are investigating my Uncle's dealings at his company, but we actually have a new investigation that we would like started. During our dealings with Malfoy we discovered that he had been bribing the Minister for some time. We would like a secret investigation started into the transactions so we can determine what each related too. At the moment we are not going to do anything but would like to have the evidence available should it ever be needed," stated Harry.

"Wow, thank you, Harry; that is a big accusation, but based on what I have learnt recently, I don't doubt what you are saying. I know the Goblins will be only too happy to help as Fudge has been one of the worst ministers when it comes to Goblin relations," Bill told them.

They continued to talk about what Harry had learnt as well as his Uncle. Bill was horrified by Ginny's description on Harry's life as he grew up, and promised to look into that as well to see if there was any evidence they could find.

"Bill, before you leave can we met at least once a week to discuss progress on the investigations," asked Harry.

"Yes, Harry, that would be acceptable. If we could meet at the castle that would be perfect," answered Bill.

"Great, then how does each Saturday morning work? I am sure Professor Dumbledore will not have a problem with you joining us for breakfast," said Harry.

After everything was arranged, Bill returned to work whilst Harry and Ginny cuddled on the couch.

* * *

Life at the school quickly returned to normal. Harry had not yet confronted Crabbe, Goyle or Parkinson about their involvement in the plot, but had noticed that they now stayed together as a group; it appeared that Crabbe and Goyle were acting as her bodyguards.

They also noticed that a growing number of Slytherin's were starting to interact with students from the other houses and didn't have a problem being seen talking to them. Now that Draco Malfoy was gone for good, his bad influence had completely disappeared and no one feared what would happen if he found out.

They noticed Professor Snape had started acting better towards all the students in general, and had actually started disciplining the Slytherin's more if they deserved it. He was still unfair to some students, but it was never as bad as before.

The New Marauder's decided it was time for another prank. Harry had told them who was involved in the plot against Ginny, so they already had their targets. Of course, this would implicate Harry a little, but they really didn't care. As before, Dobby was very happy to help and offered some useful tips for them too. Harry used Potter Castle to have the potions made; this way there would be no evidence at the school, making it even harder for anyone to determine who was involved.

They decided that the prank would be done the next Monday morning, and would last for the whole week. They were sure that the Professor's would be angry, but as each of them had strong shields they knew no one would be able to find out it was them, so didn't really care.

* * *

The rest of the week passed very quickly, and before they knew it, Saturday morning had arrived again. As they made their way down to breakfast, Harry and Ginny met Bill in the entrance hall, and proceeded into the Great Hall. As they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ginny both noticed that Fleur Delacour made her way towards them and, proceeded to sit next to Bill again.

' _Hmm, I do believe, Mrs. Potter, that your brother and Miss. Delacour like each other,_ ' said Harry.

' _Yes, I do believe so, Mr. Potter,_ ' answered Ginny.

' _Well, that explains why Bill wanted to meet here each week,_ ' laughed Harry.

"Bill, can we meet for a few minutes after breakfast to discuss your investigations, then you will be free to spend the rest of the day with Fleur," whisper Harry caused Bill to blush Weasley red.

' _That was so mean, I Love You,_ ' said Ginny as she leaned over and proceeded to snog him senseless.

' _I thought so too, I think they are great together_ ' replied Harry.

' _Yes, they are; who knows what will happen. I am happy for Bill._ '

"You know, Harry, if you weren't already married to my sister, I would make your life a living hell for that little comment earlier," whispered Bill as they returned to the study to talk.

"I know," laughed Harry.

They continue to talk and joke all the way back to the study. Once they got there, Bill informed Harry that they had found substantial evidence of embezzlement by his Uncle, and were currently preparing a case against him. It also turned out that he had been sexually harassing several members of staff, and whenever a complaint was made, they would suddenly find themselves out of work. Harry asked Bill to talk to each one and ask if they would be willing to testify when the case went to court.

It turned out there was even more evidence of wrong doing when it came to Minister Fudge; the Goblins had reviewed his accounts going back many years and had been able to link payments from several known Death Eaters to a private account belonging to the Minister. Each time, a significant law was changed or someone was suddenly pardoned and released from Azkaban. They were still gathering evidence to build an ironclad case so when the time came to prosecute they would not fail.

Bill quickly disappeared after the meeting and was later spotted walking hand in hand with Fleur around the great lake.

* * *

The New Marauders made their way down to breakfast on Monday morning having just completed their dueling training; they were looking forward to breakfast as they knew the next prank would be starting. To avoid any suspicion, they had long ago agreed that they would not all sit together; particularly as that would mean Luna sitting at the wrong table, so they each sat at their usual spots in the Great Hall.

The hall quickly filled up as the students arrived. Everyone was chatting away as normal, discussing the events of the previous evening or working out what homework they may have forgotten, when a loud scream was heard from the Slytherin table. Everyone looked up to see what was happening and it was immediately obvious when they spotted Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle with violently pink hair and some very nasty boils on the faces. There was silence for about twenty seconds before someone in Gryffindor burst out laughing and the rest of the hall soon followed suit.

Harry looked up at the Professor's table and he could see that Snape was looking directly at his plate, and he could swear that he was trying not to laugh.

' _Gin, look at Snape,_ ' Harry said.

She looked up at him and could see it to.

' _He is trying not to laugh. Oh this is great; it looks like he is not going to even try and help them; well, at least not yet,_ ' replied Ginny.

Their assumption had been right, Snape made no effort at all to help the students. He took away the food they had eaten and reported that after testing it that there was no evidence of tampering. Of course that had nothing to do with the fact he never tested it.

The Marauders had designed the potions to last for a whole day. This ensured that Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle were humiliated throughout the day, even members of their own house were laughing at them whenever they made an appearance.

* * *

The rest of the week proceeded quickly for the whole school. The New Marauders trained every morning as normal, and were now in the top of every class in the school. The physical training was helping their stamina; all of them could now duel for an hour solid, Harry and Ginny with two wands. The knowledge that Harry and Ginny were absorbing was helping in all their classes; they had completed all the course work for Hogwarts and were now working through the library at Potter Castle.

The entertainment provided by Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle, continued for the whole week. Their hair colour changed at breakfast each day. Each day something else would happen to them. Tuesday their ears grew four times bigger; Wednesday their noses grew much larger and longer; Thursday they had to hop around the school as their legs would not work correctly; and Friday was the best. Crabbe and Goyle had grown a very impressive set of breasts, whilst Parkinson completely lost hers. All three of them rushed out of the hall that morning and were not seen all day, losing their house an impressive number of points and earning several detentions.

Saturday was finally on them again and it was a Hogsmeade weekend; they had their normal meeting with Bill, who reported that all the employee's who had been harassed where very happy to help, especially when they found out how Vernon had treated Harry. After that, Bill, Fleur, Harry and Ginny lined up to go to Hogsmeade together. Professor McGonagall was surprise to see Harry in the line so pulled him aside.

"Mr. Potter, I didn't know you had a signed permission slip?" she asked.

"Ah, yes, Professor, I have finally," he said as he presented the slip to her.

"What is the meaning of this Harry, you cannot sign your own slip?" she said.

"Ah, but I can, Professor, you see it states that the legal guardian must sign the form. Well, I am my own guardian, so I signed it," stated Harry.

"This isn't a joking matter, Mr. Potter," she said in an angry voice.

Before she could continue however, Bill Weasley came over and explained the situation to her, she looked at both Harry and Ginny and then back at Bill. He told her that only the family and Professor Dumbledore knew about that aspect of it and she promised to not say anything either.

"Well, it appears you are perfectly within your rights to do this. I will advise Mr. Filch that you have permission. Please leave the form with me to avoid any unnecessary questions," said the Professor before she walked up the line to Filch.

They didn't have any further problems and were soon walking down the main street in Hogsmeade. Neither Harry nor Bill cared which shops they went to, as long as the ladies enjoyed themselves. Several hours later, and having made a nice dent in their money bags, they walked into the Three Broomsticks for lunch.

"This place is so cool," said Ginny.

"Yes, it has so many shops and not nearly as busy as Diagon Alley. I bet everyone avoids it if they know it is a school weekend," said Harry.

"Most likely," said Bill.

They talked over lunch. Fleur told them that she wanted to move to England after finishing school this year, and work at Gringotts. There were a number of jobs that she found fascinating. Both Harry and Ginny noticed the smile on Bill's face when she said that. After lunch, they decided to head towards the shrieking shack. Of course Harry and Ginny knew what it really was, but had not told anyone else.

As they left the pub however, Harry noticed a sudden chill in the air. He remembered feeling that before somewhere when it dawned on him.

"Dementors!" he shouted.

As they looked around they could see a large number of Dementors in the town. They were already attacking students and villagers when Harry spotted them.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM," shouted Harry, Ginny, Bill and Fleur together. A very large Stag appeared out of Harry's wand and an equally large Doe from Ginny's. They both started charging the Dementors. Interestingly enough Bill and Fleur had a Tiger and Tigress which were slightly smaller but still started charging at the Dementors too.

They could see that the four Patronuses were having an effect, but it wasn't quite enough, it appeared that no one else was able to produce one. Suddenly Harry had an idea.

' _Ginny, we need to try casting another Patronus, but at the same time and when touching,_ ' he said.

' _Okay, Harry, we can try to see what happens._ '

With that they grabbed each others hands and together shouted "EXPECTO PATRONUM."

Bill and Fleur had looked round at them wondering why they were casting again when everyone knew you could only produce a single Patronus. They were therefore amazed, as were Harry and Ginny, when an enormous Phoenix Patronus appeared in front of them and started charging the Dementors. It soon made quick work of dispatching the Dementors.

The attack was over very quickly after that, the Dementos had started fleeing when the Phoenix Patronus approached them. At the same time, the Aurors, and several teachers, arrived at the scene and just stared at the massive Patronus, if it wasn't for the fact that Dumbledore had just arrived and was clearly as shocked as everyone else, they would have suspected it was his. The five Patronuses were now patrolling the area, making sure that all the Dementors had gone. Whilst they were searching, the Death Eater that had organized the attack was captured trying to escape. To Harry's delight, it was Peter Pettigrew; he was quickly arrested and taken to the ministry.

The four were interviewed by the Aurors regarding the attack and once they had each given their statements, were allowed to leave.

"Wow those were some impressive Patronuses you produced," said Bill as they walked back to the castle.

"We knew we could do the first forms, as I had done it last year when dealing with Peter Pettigrew first time around," answered Harry.

"The Phoenix however was Harry's idea. We know that our magic is strongest if we are touching and cast at the same time so we tried it," stated Ginny.

"That's why I think it worked. The first two forms were our individual ones, but the third one was our combined one," said Harry.

"That is very interesting, and in this case, was very useful," said Bill.

The news quickly spread around the school about the attack, and the rather impressive Patronuses that had been produced. It appeared that no one knew where the Phoenix came from, but all agreed that it had made the difference. The four of them had decided to not reveal anything except to Professor Dumbledore and of course the New Marauder's.

* * *

After dinner, Professor Dumbledore asked to speak with Harry and Ginny. They made their way up to his office as soon as they had been dismissed. As they approached, the Gargoyle again jumped out of the way and allowed them to head up to the office.

"Come in," Professor Dumbledore said as they got to the door.

"Good evening, Professor," they both said.

"Thank you for coming; please have a seat. Would either of you like a lemon drop?" asked the Professor.

They quickly sat down at the offered seats and waited for Dumbledore to proceed.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened today in Hogsmeade," Dumbledore stated.

"Firstly, I wanted to thank you both for you quick thinking in the town. Mr. Weasley told me that without any prompting, you both immediately fired off individual Patronuses at the same time as Miss Delacour and he did. Without your intervention we almost certainly would have been dealing with a tragedy. Fortunately none of the students were seriously hurt, a few minor cuts and bruises but none were kissed. The villagers were not as lucky, as two were kissed, but again, it could have been much worse."

Dumbledore could see that they were not taking the news that others had suffered, well.

"I know it is unpleasant, but you cannot blame yourselves; as I said, if your Patronuses had not disrupted the attack, I have no doubt we would have lost a number of students today."

"Thank you, Professor, that does make it a little easier to handle," Harry told him.

"Now, I would like to discuss your other Patronus. Mr. Weasley told me that after you had already cast your Patronuses, you both attempted to cast again at the same time and he noticed that you were holding hands when you did. He wasn't expecting anything to happen, and it was clear that you were not expecting it to work either. It appears that when you combine your magic, you have a different signature which was why you were able to cast the new Patronus. I am glad that you tried that because it made the difference today."

"Professor, we have known for a while that if we combine our magic it will be strong. Just as we did after the incident earlier this year, when you attempted to restore the trace. We were not sure it would work, but at that point we could see that no one else was able or willing to cast a Patronus, so we needed to do something," Harry explained.

"Thank you for being honest with me Harry, I would like to encourage you both to continue practicing your combined magic as it could well be the difference in the future. I do know about your training sessions in the mornings. Don't worry, I have no plans to stop you. I would encourage you to teach your friends the Patronus charm as soon as possible; I doubt there will be any further attacks for a while, but now we know that Voldemort is willing to stop at nothing to get you and we need to all be ready."

"Thank you, Professor, we will start teaching them tomorrow. I doubt it will take long for them to learn it," replied Harry.

"Also, Professor, we want to keep the source of the new Patronus a complete secret; only a select few, including you, will know where it comes from," Harry told him.

"I agree, Harry; there would be too many difficult questions to answer if we revealed the source. I spoke with the Aurors and they arrived after the Patronus had been cast so none of them know the source; the same applies to the teachers."

"Harry, you should know that Voldemort ordered the attack as punishment for our interference in his plans at Malfoy Manor. Apparently, they had been informed that you didn't have permission to be in town so were planning to have as many students as possible kissed, and then make sure everyone knew it was because of your actions," Dumbledore told them.

"Well, it seems that it was fate that we would realize that I could sign my own form now, and that Bill has taken quite a liking to Fleur," said Ginny.

They all laughed at that, and they could see a twinkle appear in Dumbledore's eye again.

"Before you both leave, I wanted to also inform you that at breakfast tomorrow, we will be presenting each of you with a Special Services to Hogwarts Award for your actions. I know you don't like all the attention, but we felt that it was too important to ignore."

"Thank you, Professor," they said as they got up and left the office.

Harry and Ginny decided to stop in the Founder's Study before going to bed as they wanted some time to relax; yet again their day had been interrupted by someone else. However when they got there, all the other members of The New Marauder's were waiting for them.

"There you are, we have been looking for you," Hermione said.

"Sorry, Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk with us," Harry told them.

"So, what happened? We heard about the Patronuses," asked Hermione.

"There isn't much to tell really; we came out of the pub after lunch and I could feel the Dementors. Next thing I know, all four of us had cast the Patronus charm," stated Harry.

"But what about that other Patronus? Apparently it was massive," asked Hermione.

"Look guys, we will tell you about that, but like everything else it has to remain a complete secret," said Harry.

They again promised not to reveal anything.

"It was our combined Patronus; we didn't even know if it would work but could tell that the fight was not over. Deciding that we had nothing to lose, we attempted to cast the charm again, at the same, time whilst holding hands, and the Phoenix Patronus was the result," explained Harry.

They could tell that Hermione had a lot more questions, so Harry cut her off before she could ask any more.

"Sorry, Hermione, I know you have questions but this is one part of the bond we are not going to discuss further. It is very personal for us and is off limits, other than the fact that we can do the combined Patronus, we will not talk about it," stated Harry.

He could tell that she wasn't happy about it but at least had the decency to see the discussion was over and didn't try and continue it. They soon headed to their rooms and bed.

* * *

At breakfast the next morning Hedwig arrived with the latest copy of the _Daily Prophet_. For some reason, Hedwig only seemed to bring them when there was something about Harry, Ginny, or their friends. They had never bothered trying to find out how, but did appreciate it.

 **Dementor Attack Thwarted, Pettigrew Arrested** **  
** ** **by Rita Skeeter****

 **Yesterday afternoon, a large Dementor attack on Hogsmeade during one of the student days was thwarted when Mr. Harry Potter, Miss. Ginevra Weasley, Mr. William Weasley and Miss. Fleur Delacour each produced a Patronus charm that was able to hold of the attacking Dementors. During the fight, a fifth much larger Patronus, appeared close to the four and was the primary reason that the attack failed.**

 **During interviews with the Aurors, Students and Professors present after the fight, no one was able to explain where the fifth Patronus had come from. There has been speculation that it was Albus Dumbledore who produced the Patronus, as he had the same form as his, however, a number of witnesses confirmed that the Patronus had already appeared before Dumbledore arrived and that he seemed equally surprised at its appearance.**

 **After the attack was thwarted, Peter Pettigrew, once thought to have been killed by Sirius Black, '** _ **see page 5**_ **', was captured attempting to escape from the scene. After questioning by the Aurors, it was determined that he was responsible for the attack on the town. During questioning, he also admitted that he had been the secret keeper for James and Lily Potter, and not Sirius Black as had once been assume.**

 **Minister Fudge has refused to comment on the latest revelation and continues to insist that Sirius Black is a known mass murderer who has escaped from Azkaban. Based on the latest evidence from Peter Pettigrew and the fact that it recently came to light that Sirius Black never received a trail for his alleged crimes, it is this reporters opinion that Sirius Black is innocent of all charges.**

 **Peter Pettigrew is currently being held in Azkaban awaiting trail.**

Harry didn't have a chance to say anything about the article as Professor Dumbledore took that moment to stand up and address the whole hall.

"Your attention please," said Professor Dumbledore in a loud clear voice.

"Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Potter, Miss. Weasley, Mr. William Weasley, and Miss. Delacour's actions prevented what would most certainly have been a tragedy, as I am sure most of you saw in the Daily Prophet this morning. In recognition for their actions, it has been decided that they should each receive a Special Services to Hogwarts Award. Would each of them please come forward to receive their awards."

Each of them made their way up to the head table and received the awards, and congratulations from the Professors. They received a standing ovation from the students and Professors, it took quite a long time for everyone to leave the hall that morning, and numerous students wanted to thank them as they had been in town at the time.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

The next couple of days became a blur for Harry and Ginny, they could not go anywhere in Hogwarts without someone wanting to talk with them, either to thank them or to ask questions about the attack and their Patronuses.

Initially they didn't mind too much but after a few hours it started to get very old, they had restricted themselves to the Founder's Study when not in lessons and even used Xavier so they could avoid contact with everyone.

' _Oh this is frustrating; I wish they would just leave us alone. I hate that we have to avoid everyone,_ ' said Ginny as they cuddled together on the large couch.

It was Wednesday morning and they currently had a free period, as they had completed all their homework they decided to spend the time relaxing, they didn't even bother getting another book to read, they just wanted time for themselves.

' _I know, I had hoped that it would die down by now, hopefully it will be soon otherwise I am going to hex someone,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Hmm maybe we should play a prank on the whole school, that way it will take to focus off us,_ ' suggested Ginny.

' _Now that does sound like a plan,_ ' replied Harry as he pulled her towards him and gently kissed her.

' _Is that my reward for the suggestion,_ ' asked Ginny with a very seductive smile.

' _Oh no Mrs. Potter that was just the warm up,_ ' Harry said as he proceeded to snog her senseless. Several minutes later, when they both needed to breathe again, they surfaced.

' _Oh wow, I will have to come up with more suggestions,_ ' laughed Ginny.

' _Oh no Gin, you don't need to do anything to be rewarded like that, I love you so much,_ ' said Harry as he gently caressed her face.

' _I love you too, Harry, more then I ever imagined possible,_ ' she replied as relaxed into his chest.

They continued to cuddle on the couch for the rest of their free time, gently showing each other just how much they loved the other. To some people the simple gestures of affection they showed may have seemed meaningless, but to Harry and Ginny it was like no-one else existed in those moments.

Each morning since the Dementor attack Harry and Ginny spent the training time teaching the other members the Patronus charm. They were pleased with the progress that each of them were making on it. The hardest part was teaching them to focus their happy memories when doing the charm, this wasn't something that they could teach them via the knowledge transfer so had to encourage them as much as possible.

Of course it was different when practicing in private when there was no danger; they just hoped that they would be able to still do it when in a fight.

The rest of the time whilst Harry and Ginny were in hiding they reviewed all the spells they had learnt so far, they did this every so often just to be certain that they maintained their skill. They spent the rest of the time planning the prank that Ginny had suggested. They had already decided that it would be done on Sunday so that they didn't disrupt the classes; they felt that the Professor's would be less upset with that.

They also decided it was time for another prank on Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle. This one was going to be a lot more humiliating than all the previous one's but, as before, they really didn't care. There wasn't much the Professor's could do about it anyway.

* * *

The next morning after their regular training session The New Marauder's made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. They had already given Dobby the potions that were needed and wanted to be there for the show, they were also very hungry as their physical workout had intensified after the Dementor attack. They were now up to four laps of the lake before duelling practice.

They quickly settled down to their food and dug in. It wasn't long before the hall started to fill up. Most of the students were used to seeing the group already in the hall in the mornings, so never thought anything of it. Today however each of them seemed slightly nervous, probably because of the nature of the prank. They were careful to mask it, but it was obviously not working.

About ten minutes after breakfast had started, the hall had settled into its normal clattering and chatter as the students ate and talked. Suddenly, Crabbe and Goyle jumped out of their seats and ran to the head table. The noise of them getting up had caused most of the students in the hall to look over and see what was happening. They watched in surprise.

Suddenly the two of them started fighting. It appeared that they wanted to get the attention of the same Professor; and wanted to be first to get there. Everyone watched in amusement at the antics of the two. Professor Snape had seen enough and decided to deal with them.

"Crabbe, Goyle will you please explain what is going on," asked an annoyed Snape.

"Sorry Professor," said Crabbe. "I had to tell you now; I have been waiting for so long."

"What are you talking about?" growled Snape.

"Sir, I want to marry you," said Crabbe in a loud clear voice. Everyone in the hall looked shocked.

Before anyone could react, Goyle suddenly shouted. "Noooo, you can't I want to marry him; I saw him first."

They quickly returned to their fight as the rest of the hall erupted in laughter. Then the laughter grew even more rollicking when the New Marauder banner silently opened behind the teachers.

In the middle of all this, Pansy Parkinson jumped out of her seat and ran to the front of the hall.

"Professor Snape, I thought that you loved me. How can you allow these boys to fight over you when I am already yours?" she shouted.

The halls laughter grew to new height as they realized what was happening. Someone had fed them all a love potion.

"Silence," shouted Professor Dumbledore.

"Enough of this, Professor Snape, will you please take these three to the infirmary so that Madam Pomfrey can sort them out." His sharp eyes took in the other students spread throughout the Great Hall. "Everyone else will finish breakfast in complete silence."

Everyone quickly returned to eating their breakfast, most of them trying their hardest not to laugh; but snickers were clearly heard that were turned into convenient coughs. As soon as they exited the Great Hall, the sound of laughter could be heard throughout the school.

* * *

Harry had potions after breakfast and, as expected, Professor Snape was in a foul mood. However, it appeared that his anger was directed at everyone. He shouted at any student who attempted to ask a question, and criticized everyone's potion; even the perfect potions that Hermione and Harry were currently brewing.

He even went as far as deliberately sabotaging Harry's potion; luckily Harry had spotted it and dove out of the way before the cauldron exploded.

"Mr. Potter, see me after class and clean up this mess," shouted Snape.

"Yes, Professor," answered Harry as he cleaned up.

"He did that deliberately," spat Hermione when Snape turned away.

"Yes, he must want to talk with me. I will tell you everything later," replied Harry in a whisper.

Hermione nodded, "Okay."

The remainder of the lesson didn't get any better. Snape was still in a foul mood. All the students were glad when the bell rang and quickly exited the room after leaving their potion's on Snape's desk.

Harry approached the Professor's desk after everyone had left.

"Potter, please explain your actions today. You could have easily killed someone with your mistake," shouted Snape as he slowly pushed a piece of parchment towards Harry.

"I am sorry, Professor, I must have missed a step in the process. I will try harder next time," replied Harry as he took the parchment and placed it in his school robes.

"If you don't start working harder you are going to fail this class," continued Snape.

"Sorry, sir, I am trying my hardest. Maybe I need additional lessons to catch up," suggested Harry.

"I am not wasting my time on you, Potter; now get out before I give you detention."

Harry rushed out of the room ensuring that the note was secure in his pocket.

As he headed back to the Gryffindor tower to read the note he ran into Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Potter," Parkinson said.

"What do you want Parkinson?" asked Harry.

"I know it's you pulling those pranks on us," she told him.

"What are you talking about, Parkinson?" asked Harry again.

"Don't play stupid with me, Potter; we know that you found out from Draco that we were involved in the plot to kidnap that stupid slut of yours. It's a pity that Draco couldn't keep his big mouth shut really," said Parkinson.

"So you automatically assume that I would prank you because of that? You really are pathetic, aren't you? If I wanted revenge for what happened to Ginny, you would not be standing here taking up my time by talking, I can promise you that much," said Harry as he started to walk away.

"Draco may have been weak, but I'm not Potter," she said as she cast the Cruciatus Curse at him.

Harry quickly erected his shield and absorbed the curse.

"But, but, that's impossible," shouted Parkinson.

"Obviously it isn't, Parkinson," smirked Harry.

"Fine! So, you can stop the Cruciatus curse; trying stopping this," she shouted as she shot the killing curse at him.

Again the shield stopped the curse before it could do anything. Before Parkinson, Crabbe or Goyle could react three stunner's flew past Harry and took them down.

Harry looked up and spotted Ginny and the twins running towards him.

"You okay, Harry," asked Fred.

"Yep, thanks mates; I was starting to get bored with absorbing the crap from Parkinson," laughed Harry.

They quickly Obliviated the three of them and decided to make them suffer, so they left them in the corridor in a rather compromising position.

The four of them disappeared from the corridor with the aid of Xavier.

Moments later most of the Slytherin's came along the corridor heading up to lunch. They looked at the scene in front of them and laughed. They had obviously tried to retaliate against whoever played the prank on them and failed yet again.

They had completely lost the respect of their fellow house members, so it wasn't a surprise that no-one even made the effort to help them.

As soon as they got back to the study the twins disappeared. They had been in the middle of preparing for the large prank that weekend and wanted to ensure the potion was ready.

* * *

Harry and Ginny sat down on the couch and opened the note from Snape.

 _They are still planning to bring Voldemort back, and still want to use your blood in the ritual, I am trying to find out more but need to be careful as they are suspicious of me._

"We should take this to Dumbledore. They are going to try and find a way of kidnapping one or both of us; we will have to be constantly on our guard from now on," said Harry.

"Yes, we should also focus more on our Phoenix training. From what Xavier said after they kidnapped me, I could have broken the bind Malfoy placed on me. I suspect they will try something similar again so we should be ready."

Xavier arrived in the room at that moment.

' _We need to spend time each night after you have gone to sleep, in training; most of what you need to learn can be done inside your mind. When we need to do physical training, we will need to use your Phoenix form. As the magic gets stronger you will not be restricted to just that form,_ ' explained Xavier.

' _Thank you, Xavier, we will start going to bed earlier so we can maximise the time in training,_ ' Harry said.

' _That is perfect, Harry; you should also talk to Professor Dumbledore so he knows what is happening. He will want to investigate this further so that he can keep a eye on you both,_ ' replied Xavier.

"Harry, I think we should research Dementors further too; I wouldn't be surprised if they continued to use them during attacks. They must have found out from someone the effect they used to have on you and will try anything that could give them an advantage," suggested Ginny.

"That's sounds like a good idea, Gin. So far all we have been able to do is chase them off, surely there must be more we can do about them," answered Harry.

He then remembered the book that he found on Dementors when looking in the Vaults, he quickly opened the trunk and started searching for it. Finally he found it under several other books and they started reading it.

An hour later they had completed the book and knew a lot more about Dementors than they really wanted to. Some of the things they had been known for where horrendous.

Ginny gave a shudder of revulsion. ' _Why would the Ministry allow them to exist still?_ ' asked Ginny.

' _Who knows. I guess it's 'out of sight out of mind'. As long as they stay in Azkaban most people will ignore them,_ ' answered Harry.

' _Typical. Fudge most likely has some deal with the former Death Eaters that allowed their continued existence. They seem to be under their own control now,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Yes that would make sense; at least the book told us that it is possible to destroy them. Now we have to find a way of touching them with fire. The only problem is you can't just cast Incendio at them as they will be able to move fast enough to avoid it._ '

' _Yes, and you can't exactly walk up to them with a torch either,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _There has to be something we can do,_ ' Harry said as he pondered.

' _What if we could alter our Patronuses,_ ' suggested Ginny.

' _What do you mean?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Well if a Patronus was fire instead of the mist when it charged, it would destroy them, I doubt they would all be fast enough to escape, especially if there were multiple Patronuses in the area._ '

' _Hmm that could work; now we just have to determine how to do it?_ ' Harry said.

' _What if we changed the first word of the spell? A Patronus is a combination of happy memories, and the incantation. If we changed it, it might work,_ ' continued Ginny.

' _Right, so what if we used 'Incendio' instead of 'Expecto' as that is the fire incantation._ '

' _Well I guess the only way to find out is to try. We should go into the spell room before attempting it, however,_ ' replied Ginny.

They got up from the couch and made their way into the spell room, they had never created a spell before so were rather excited by the prospect of trying it. Once they had closed the door, Harry attempted to cast the new spell.

"Incendio Patronum," he said quietly.

They were both amazed when it worked, out of the end of Harry's wand appeared a large stag of pure fire. Ginny attempted to cast it too with the same result her Doe appeared and started exploring the room. Harry and Ginny then attempted their combined form, having vanished the other two as the room was already getting warmer. Again they were amazed to see the massive Phoenix appear in the room.

They decided to go and talk with Professor Dumbledore so they could introduce the new spell and make sure people were trained on it; this could make a very large difference in the war.

' _Xavier,_ ' Harry called.

' _Yes, Harry._ '

' _Could you take Ginny and I to Professor Dumbledore?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Certainly, I will be there in a second,_ ' replied Xavier as he flashed into the room and studied the large fire Phoenix.

' _Wow that is certainly impressive,_ ' Xavier told them.

' _Thank you, we are going to present this information to the Professor,_ ' Harry told him.

Before they left Harry made sure to vanish the Phoenix Patronus as he didn't want the others to panic if they saw it in the room.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore was studying the latest intelligence he had received about the on going search for Voldemort. Since Ginny's kidnapping, he had resurrected the Order of the Phoenix and they had started looking in earnest for the Death Eaters and Voldemort. The search had been unsuccessful so far, but at least they were not sitting back like the Ministry had chosen to do.

' _Albus, we have guests arriving,_ ' Fawkes suddenly told him.

' _What do you mean Fawkes?_ ' Albus responded, but needed no answer when Harry and Ginny Potter arrived in the room.

"Good Evening," the Professor said.

"Good Evening, Professor," they both said.

"What can I help you children with?" he asked.

"Actually, Professor we hope to be able to help you. After the recent Dementor attacks we realized that they were going to continue using them, so we did some research," stated Harry.

He nodded. "A very wise thing to do, and what did that research tell you?" he asked.

"We have determined that a Dementor can be destroyed if touched by fire," answered Harry.

"Yes, that appears to be the case, however, no-one has ever been able to get close enough to test that theory," Dumbledore said.

"Right, because of the effect they have on people, but we came up with a potential solution to that problem, Professor," replied Harry.

The Professor looked impressed, but was overally surprised that they may have a solution.

"And may I ask what you came up with?"

"We designed a variation on the Patronus charm sir. Ginny and I have verified that we can cast it," replied Harry.

"Would you mind demonstrating for me?" asked Dumbledore.

"Certainly sir but we should find somewhere slightly bigger that isn't full of books," Harry said as he looked at all the shelves.

Before Dumbledore could respond Godric Gryffindor spoke up, "May I suggest the Room of Requirement."

They looked at him in shock.

"What is the Room of Requirement," asked Dumbledore.

"It is another secret room that was added to the castle long ago, on the seventh floor opposite the Portrait of Sir Barnaby, and has a hidden entrance. To activate the room you must walk past the door three times thinking about what you require," Godric explained.

They made their way to the corridor and quickly did as Godric suggested. They were all amazed when a door appeared. They entered the room and found that it was perfect. It was a large room made of solid stone. There wasn't anything in the room that could catch fire.

"Wow, this is amazing; we will need to explore this further," said Harry as they entered.

"Yes, it is quite amazing," replied Dumbledore.

"Anyway, Professor, as we said we have come up with a variation on the Patronus charm which we believe will allow us to defeat the Dementors. We changed the incantation to 'Incendio Patronum' and the result was perfect," Harry explained as he cast the charm.

Dumbledore looked on in amazement as the Fire Stag appeared in the room, it was identical to Harry's normal Patronus except if was pure fire.

"Congratulations, Harry, that is most certainly a very impressive achievement," Dumbledore told him.

Harry went on to explain that everything else was the same; you still needed the happy memories before casting etc.

Whilst they were talking, Ginny's Doe had appeared and was again exploring the area. Professor Dumbledore soon added his Phoenix, and the three Patronuses moved around the room.

"Professor I would like to keep this a secret from the general public until we have had a chance to test it against actual Dementors." Harry asked.

"I understand, Harry, however I would like to teach some of the senior member's of the Order of the Phoenix this new charm," Professor Dumbledore said as they exited the room a while later.

"Certainly, Professor, we are going to be teaching our friends too, they already know how to do the normal Patronus so it won't be too much work for them," replied Harry.

Harry and Ginny returned to the study after their meeting with Dumbledore and proceeded to tell the others about the new Patronus charm and the Room of Requirement, they spent the rest of the evening talking before heading to bed.

That evening, as promised, Xavier spent several hours helping them to strengthen their Phoenix Magic. They could feel it burning inside them as they practiced. Xavier told them that the stronger it became, the more they would feel the sensation throughout their bodies just as they do when they are in Phoenix form.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning brought another copy of the Daily Prophet.

 _ **Pettigrew sentenced, Sirius Black freed**_  
 _ **by Rita Skeeter**_

 _ **Yesterday afternoon Peter Pettigrew appeared in court to answer the charges against him, after refusing to answer any questions Madam Bones ordered that Veritaserum be administered. Pettigrew proceeded to tell the courts the events that led to the deaths of James and Lily Potter, he also confessed to killing the muggles when he escaped from Sirius Black. In addition, he told the court that he was involved in the plot to kidnap Miss. Ginevra Weasley earlier this year and the attack on Hogsmeade when he was capture.**_

 _ **Pettigrew has been sentenced to the Dementors kiss for his crimes, to be administered this weekend.**_

 _ **As result of Pettigrew's testimony Sirius Black has been issued a full pardon and a sizable sum of Galleons as compensation for the twelve plus years he spent in Azkaban without a trial. The whereabouts of Sirius Black is still unknown at this time.**_

Harry was ecstatic, his godfather was finally a free man, he couldn't wait to see him and celebrate at last.

' _Oh, Harry, I am so happy for you,_ ' said Ginny.

' _Thanks, Gin. I can't wait to see him again. He has been in hiding for so long already,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Yes, well we will make sure that he enjoys his freedom,_ ' Ginny said.

They continued to talk about Sirius and the hopes that Harry had now.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

The weekend had been quite slow for the seven New Marauder's, they continued with the final plans for the prank and spent the rest of the time relaxing as they had decided to only train on the week days. Sometimes they would still get up and go running or use the study but that was optional.

Sunday breakfast finally arrived and The New Marauder's were all in the Great Hall as early as usual; the teachers were so used to seeing them there that they didn't even question it now. At least they were not somewhere else causing trouble.

The hall quickly filled up as the students and Professor's arrived; everyone soon fell into their normal banter as they ate. Some would discuss their homework, others planned a Quidditch match as they were so bored.

It wasn't long before things started to happen however. At the Ravenclaw table, someone suddenly screamed as a Unicorn appeared next to them. Then one by one the students were transformed into different animals, The New Marauder's had deliberately not eaten any food as they wanted to do their Animagus transformations so they could turn back if anything happened.

Soon the Great Hall looked more like a zoo then a school hall. There were animals of all sizes and breeds around the room. In the centre of the room was a pride of lions; one with a noticeable scar above his left eye, and obviously the dominant male. The others took their place slightly behind him; and lying right next to him was a lioness with noticeable red hair.

Professor Dumbledore had a huge smile on his face as he watched, the other teachers had no clue what to do as there were so many different animals.

"Silence," Professor Dumbledore said in a loud clear voice.

Everyone looked up at the Professor as he continued to speak.

"It appears that our friends have struck again, I don't know how long this will last but request that all of you head back to your dorms so the Professor's can do a head count and make sure everyone is okay."

The students quickly made their way out of the Great Hall; those that could not, for various reasons where picked up by the Professor's and returned to their dorm rooms.

Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle were the exceptions, however, as they had been turned into very large pot bellied pigs and couldn't even walk to the door. The New Marauder's had also ensured that their potion lasted twenty five hours where as the others only lasted sixteen.

The rest of the day passed very quickly once the head count had been done and no students were found to be missing the Professor's had basically allowed them to do whatever they wanted. Harry and the gang disappeared outside and were found running in the forest for most of the day.

The only person who wasn't happy was Mr. Filch, he could be heard many times during the day complaining about having to clean up after the animals.

The next morning all but three of the students had returned to normal. It was blatantly obvious which three they were once everyone else was sitting down for breakfast.

Just as they were finishing, they transformed back and were mortified to have been stuck in the Great Hall with everyone else watching them.

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly for the New Marauders; they continued their training and all of them were able to perform all the spells that would ever be covered at Hogwarts.

Harry had decided that instead of teaching them any new ones at the moment, that they would concentrate on being able to do what they knew wordlessly.

The next morning in training, Harry told them the plan.

"Guys, I have decided that we should take a break from learning new spells for a while so that we can concentrate instead on casting what we know wordlessly. Once you learn how to do that, you will have at least three advantages over others in a duel. First, wordless spells allow you the extra element of surprise as the opponent will not know what you are casting; second, you will be able to attack faster as you don't have to worry about saying the spell; and third, you will be able to reverse even a silencing spell," Harry told them.

They all looked at him with excitement.

"Do you think we will be able to do it," asked Hermione?

"Yes, I believe that each of you will be able to do it eventually. You may even be able to do wandless magic one day, but that is much harder to learn," replied Harry.

Harry went on to explain the general concept of wordless spells, it took some time for the others to get anything to happen but they eventually were able to.

"Don't look too upset guys; this is very advanced magic that isn't even taught at school. It isn't something that can be learned overnight; and the fact that each of you were able to do a spell is much better progress than most people would have expected," Harry told them.

"Just like everything else, the more you practice the better you will get. In fact until further noticed no-one is allowed to speak any incantations during our training sessions," Harry finished.

They continued to practice, Harry and Ginny who had been doing both wordless and wandless spells for some time, didn't need to practice as much so spent the time encouraging the others as much as possible. By the end of the session each of them were able to do at least a couple of basic spells.

"Okay, guys, that is enough for today. All of you have done really well. Remember to practice whenever you get a chance. Eventually you will be able to completely confuse your opponents. If you master wordless spells and are able to focus them correctly, then you can say one incantation but actually cast a different spell," Harry told them.

"Oh that is very cool Harry," said Fred.

"Just imagine how much fun we could have with that," continued George.

"Just don't abuse it guys, you don't want to give away the secret unnecessarily," Harry told them.

The rest of The New Marauder's proceeded to leave the study to head to breakfast that morning.

"Harry," Hermione said.

"Yes Hermione."

"Have you heard anything about the third task yet? I am surprised that they haven't given you at least some kind of clue so that you can start training for it," said Hermione.

"Hmm that's true, although I'm not sure there is much more training that we can do, we already know as much as the other champions," replied Harry.

"True but it would be nice to know."

"Yes, it would, I'll see if I can find out something from Professor Dumbledore, I have a meeting with him tomorrow anyway to discuss the new Patronus charm. He wants me to continue the training with the Order members," Harry told her.

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly as they continued their lessons. The Professor's knew that Harry's friends had all completed their studies for the year so were not surprised when they were bored in classes; even Professor Snape had stopped hassling them and just allowed them to do whatever they wanted as long as they looked like they were working.

The next morning, whilst running around the lake, Harry suddenly spoke to her through the bond ' _Now that's very interesting._ '

' _What?_ ' asked Ginny as she had not been concentrating?

' _It would seem that Fred is running with Hermione today instead of George,_ ' replied Harry.

Ginny almost tripped over herself as she spun her head round to see.

' _Well, what do you know, they have spent a lot of time together recently now that I think about it,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Do you think they will get together,_ ' asked Harry.

' _I'm not sure, she liked Ron for a long time, but after what happened, and the fact that he didn't even ask about me after the second task, I think she has realized he isn't worth it,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Well I think they would be very good together, they are both very smart and just imagine if she starts helping him design new pranks,_ ' laughed Harry.

' _As long as they don't direct them at us I don't mind._ '

' _We will just have to see what happens, poor George he will be the only one in the group who isn't dating if that happens,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Actually, he is dating already. He has been seeing Katie Bell for a while now, they just wanted to keep is secret,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Oh, I guess that explains what was behind your door then,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Yes, plus some other things that I don't want you to know about at the moment,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _You know, it's funny really, that we created the doors so we would have some privacy, but I have never once even locked it. I guess we trust each other enough to not worry about it._ '

' _I agree Harry, I trust you with my life and would never keep something from you that could cause any problems between us. I have never locked the door either, and never even thought to approach your door,_ ' replied Ginny.

* * *

That evening, Harry and Ginny went to Professor Dumbledore's office to meet with the Order members that were to be trained. He knew some of them including, to his delight, Sirius Black.

"Sirius," Harry said as he ran to him and gave him a hug.

"Harry, you don't know how much I have wanted to thank you for all you did," Sirius told him as they hugged.

"And you too, young lady," he said as he turned to Ginny.

"You're welcome, Sirius," replied Ginny.

They chatted for a while about what had been happening since they last meet, they told him that they would like to talk in private after the meeting as they had some news to share.

"So, what's this I hear about you creating a new spell that should destroy Dementors?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, we were thinking about the attack and decided to research further; that was when we came up with the idea and the spell. The only problem so far is that we haven't had any real Dementors to actually practice on. We are certain it will work but will just have to wait and see," Harry told him.

"Your parents would have been so proud of you, Harry," Sirius told him.

This brought tears to Harry's eyes; at times like this he really felt the loss.

"Yes, Harry, they would have been; I see so much of them in you. It's strange but seeing you two together reminds me of them so much. Ginny you look just like Lily did when she was your age. From what I have been told you have a fiery personality just like she did."

They both looked at each other and smiled. They realized that they liked being compared to his parents; it gave Harry something to think about when he was sad.

Harry proceeded to demonstrate the spell for the Order members who were present; they were all very impressed with the work that Harry and Ginny had done, and each congratulated them. It didn't take long for them to successfully cast the spell, the room was getting rather warm with all the fire Patronuses that were present.

As they were leaving, Harry asked Professor Dumbledore if he could talk to Sirius in private. They quickly disappeared and were soon making their way up to the Founder's Study.

"Wow this place is brilliant, how did you find it?" asked Sirius as they looked around.

"This is the Founder's study. We found it just after Christmas, and it's one of the many things that we wanted to talk to you about," Harry said as he sat down on the couch. Ginny sat on his lap as they cuddled together, and Sirius sat on the chair opposite them.

"So, Harry, how are you really doing?" asked Sirius.

"Doing very well, Sirius. It's strange really; so much has happened since Christmas that, other than a couple of problems, it has all been very good," replied Harry.

"So, what did you want to tell me, Harry?" asked Sirius.

"Well, I think that we need to do a proper introduction," Harry said as he stood up again.

"Mr. Sirius Black, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Ginevra Molly Potter," said Harry in a formal tone.

After picking himself up again from the shock of Harry's statement, he just looked at them trying to determine if they were joking or not. Deciding that they were serious he congratulated them.

"You old dog, I can't believe that you are already married to a fiery redhead, it took your father a long time before Lily would even look at him. So I guess as your legal guardian we need to have a little talk later, Harry," said Sirius.

"Actually, Sirius, Molly and Arthur gave us the talk, I am not sure who was more embarrassed them or us," replied Harry.

"You mean to tell me that Molly and Arthur Weasley gave you the talk together," said a shocked Sirius.

"Well, they really didn't have a choice; you see that is the other part of our news and the reason we are married. We are soul bonded, and basically share everything so when Arthur tried to talk to me, Ginny could hear it too," replied Harry.

"Oh, I would have paid good money to hear that," laughed Sirius, but he stopped when a pillow hit him in the head.

Sirius grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it back at Ginny, however it never reached her as she wandless deflected it back at Sirius. He sat there for several minutes comprehending what he had just witnessed.

"Wow, that is amazing! Well I know your parents would have been very proud to call Ginny there daughter-in-law, as I said earlier, Harry, you two remind me so much of your parents it's scary," continued Sirius.

"Since you are married, that means that you now have the rights of an adult, including access to your family vaults," Sirius told them.

"We know, Sirius, that was actually how we found out about this place; we visited the vaults just after Christmas and found the map and many other things. Ginny and I have my parents wands, we keep them with us just in case anything happens to our main wands," replied Harry.

"Well, that's great, what else did you learnt about your parents?" asked Sirius.

"We know about Potter Castle," Harry told him.

They continued to talk about Harry's parents for some time. Sirius told them as much as he could remember of his parents, and the times after their marriage which were not as well documented, and how happy they both were when Harry was born.

"So, Harry, any other little secrets that I should know about?" asked Sirius.

"Oh, nothing important, Sirius," said Harry as he transformed into his Stag form quickly followed by Ginny into her Doe.

"Bloody Hell," said Sirius. "It took us years to manage that. I don't know if you realize this Harry, but Lily was also an Animagus, and interestingly enough, her form was the Doe."

Sirius was even more shocked when they transformed directly into Phoenix form and were joined by Xavier and Fawkes. It took quite some time for Sirius to be able to say anything after that.

"Sirius, I know we can trust you, but will you please swear an oath never to tell anyone what you have learnt here today?" asked Harry.

"Of course, Harry," Sirius replied and then quickly swore the oath.

"Sirius, we have one more secret to share with you; there are currently seven of us who are all Animagus and have been training together," stated Harry.

"We decided that the group needed a name, and in honour of Moony, Padfoot and Prongs we called ourselves The New Marauder's."

Sirius had a huge grin and said, "I do hope you have been honouring the traditions of the Marauder's."

They proceeded to tell him about the pranks, and everything else they had done.

"There is one more thing, Sirius, would you be willing to join us when we train so we can see how we are doing? It would be great to have an adults' opinion and guidance," Harry said.

"Of course, Harry, just name the time and place and I will be there," answered Sirius.

"Great, here, tomorrow morning, at seven," said Harry.

Sirius groaned, "You do know that's just wrong."

"Hey, we could have insisted you join us at six when we run," replied Harry.

Sirius made a quick escape after that, not wanting to get roped into anything else at that time in the morning.

* * *

The next evening, Harry and Ginny found themselves alone in the study. The others had all disappeared to spend time either alone or with other friends.

' _A quiet evening to ourselves,_ ' said Harry as they sat on the couch together.

' _Yes, so what shall we do this evening, Mr. Potter,_ ' said Ginny very seductively.

' _Well, Mrs. Potter, I don't know about you but I fancy finding a beautiful woman and kissing her senseless; any idea where I could find one?_ ' replied Harry.

' _Oh, well, I'm not sure I can help you there, Mr. Potter, I guess you will just have to make do with me,_ ' she said as she slowly caressed his cheek.

Harry pulled a face of mock disappointment. ' _I guess so, oh well, I will suffer through it, I suppose,_ ' said Harry as he threaded his hand into her hair and pulled her down into a very long, and passionate kiss.

' _I love you so much, Harry, I can't imagine a day without you here,_ ' Ginny told him as they continued to kiss.

' _I love you too, Ginny. With you I feel complete; there is no-one else I could even imagine having by my side,_ ' Harry replied.

Almost an hour later when they finally surfaced, their lips were very swollen. They still had not moved beyond just kissing and neither of them even cared. That wasn't important to them. Just being together, and knowing how much they meant to each other, was much more important than any physical element. They had no doubt that when it did finally happen, it would be just as special everything else they shared.

They decided it was time to review Merlin's list of knowledge again. It had been a few weeks since they last absorbed information. Harry summoned the list wandlessly whilst they continued to sit on the couch, after ten minutes they were getting close to the end of the list when Harry spotted, 'Research on blocking werewolf transformation'.

' _Gin, if we could get this to work, just think of the difference it would make. I don't know how far Merlin got in his research, but I think it's worth looking into._ ' Harry said.

' _I would be happy too, Harry. It could make a lot of difference to the werewolves, especially Remus, and I'm sure that he would be happy to test it, and work with us._ '

With their minds set, they sat down at the main desk in the study and selected the memories. They realized, as they started to absorb it, that there was a lot of information. They quickly found that Merlin had almost completed the research into the blocker; the only thing that he wasn't able to do before passing on was actually brew the potion and test it.

They both sat at the desk for several hours allowing the knowledge to fully integrate with their mind. They reviewed it fully and determined that it would require at least six weeks to brew the potion, and the recipient would then need to drink if for three days before the full moon in order for the body to absorb it.

' _Wow this is going to be a lot of work, we should talk to Snape and see if he will allow us to work on it as a special project, Merlin knows we are bored senseless in the lessons at the moment,_ ' said Ginny.

' _That's a brilliant idea. I was thinking of using Potter Castle. I wanted us to brew this one initially; if it works, then we can pass everything to Sandy for them to brew in bulk,_ ' replied Harry.

They realized that before they could present the plan to Professor Snape, they would have to gather the information for him to review. Not wanting divulge the source of the information that led to it's design, they wrote out as much as they could in preparation of approaching the potions professor. They then decided that as Harry had Potion's after lunch the next day, he would present the information to Snape.

Having just absorbed all the knowledge they were both tired, so headed off to bed.

"Good night, sweet lady," said Harry as they got to the bottom of the stairs to her dorm.

"Good night, kind sir," she replied as they kissed goodnight.

"Sweet dreams," he said.

"They will be," she laughed as she walked up the stairs, making sure to sway her hips a little more than necessary.

Harry laughed to himself as he walked up to his room and was soon asleep.

* * *

The next day Hermione was sitting in the library reading when she spotted Fred approaching her. She had been recently noticed her feelings for him were much more than just a friend, she was a little scared as she had never had a boyfriend before.

"Hi Fred," she said as he sat down beside her.

"Hi," replied Fred.

They sat in silence for a while; Hermione had abandoned her book when he sat down. She was trying to decide what to do about her feelings. Should she pursue them? What if things didn't work out? They were such good friends after training together. Before she could consider this further, however, she was interrupted.

"Hermione, can we go for a walk?" asked Fred nervously.

"Of course, Fred, let me just pack my stuff away," replied Hermione. She was starting to get excited as she could think of only one reason that Fred would be nervous around her; she just hoped she was right.

They quickly left the library and headed outside as it was Saturday and the weather was so good. They walked in silence for a while then Fred grabbed Hermione's hand and led her towards a quiet spot near the lake. She could tell he was really nervous, but then again, she was just as bad.

They sat down together not saying anything, she was about to ask him if everything was okay when he finally started talking.

"Hermione, I am not very good at this, you don't know how many times I have practiced what to say to you, but each time have been too afraid of your reaction," said Fred.

Hermione just smiled and let him continue.

"What I am trying to say is that I like you a lot, Hermione, and I was wondering if you would be my girlfriend?"

Hermione's eyes teared up as she looked at Fred. She didn't respond with words, but instead pulled him into a searing kiss. They didn't know if it lasted two minutes or two hours but they both knew what it meant to them.

"Well, I guess that answers that question then," said Fred with a goofy grin.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Fred, I just wanted to do that. I'm not saying I want to be your girlfriend," replied Hermione with a straight face.

He looked upset for a second before she tackled him to the ground and proceeded to kiss him senseless again.

"Does that answer the question," asked Hermione afterwards as they both walked hand in hand around the lake.

"I'm not sure, Hermione, I might need you to explain again," Fred said with a stupid grin.

Hermione was only too happy to explain again, and she pulled him into another searing kiss. They spent the remainder of the afternoon just walking and kissing.

News quickly spread around the castle that Hermione and Fred were together.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

The next morning the training was much the same as normal; everyone was progressing well with their wordless casting, they had all been working on shields as Harry felt it was important to focus as much on defense as offence when learning.

"Great job, guys, now I have a surprise for you," Harry said.

"I spoke with my godfather, Sirius, the other night. He has agreed to come and observe our training, and offered to advise and test us. I trust him and know that he won't give away our secrets; and it will be useful to have someone to help us," Harry continued.

"That sounds good, Harry," replied Hermione.

The others all quickly agreed, and were excited to see how an adult thought they were doing. They continued to chat until they reached the Great Hall. Waiting outside the door was Fleur Delacour, and she looked a little scared.

"Morning, Fleur," said Harry.

"Good morning, Harry, can I have a talk with you," she replied.

"Of course," Harry said as they headed into a deserted corridor.

"Harry, I just found out that the third task is going to involve a large maze and we are going to have to face a number of challenges inside," Fleur said.

"Oh, thanks for telling me, Fleur; do you have any idea what the challenges are?" asked Harry.

"Not at the moment, but I believe that the teachers have created some of them," she replied.

"Well, I am sure they will not be too hard, but given what has happened so far I am not going to take any chances, thanks again Fleur," Harry said as they returned to the hall.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by; before he knew it the potions lesson was over.

"Professor Snape," Harry said as the others were leaving the room.

"Potter, the lesson is over. I don't want to deal with you until next lesson," replied Snape in a sneer, whilst he was carefully checking the room to ensure no one was listen to them.

Harry made the effort of slowly cleaning away his supplies and walk towards the door whilst Snape finished. He was about to speak again when he heard something move in the corner of the room. Switching to his aura vision, he noticed someone invisible in the corner. Without hesitation he snapped his wand into place and cast a wordless, powerful stunner. A moment later a loud crash was heard as whoever it was fell into the workbench covered in bottles.

He quickly scanned the rest of the room to determine if there was anyone else there, whilst Snape approached the body and removed the invisibility charm.

"Nott, I should have known it would be him. Thank you, Potter; I knew that Nott Sr. suspected me. We are going to have to Obliviate him so he doesn't know we discovered him," Snape said.

"Yes, sir, we will have to keep an eye on him from now on. I will talk with Xavier," replied Harry.

"Well, I will deal with him later; you wanted to speak with me," replied Snape.

"Yes, sir, Ginny and I were doing some research into werewolves and came across a formula that might actually block the transformation completely. It isn't a full cure, as they still have to take it each month before the full moon, but its a step in the right direction," Harry said as he presented there notes.

Snape took a quick look at it and looked surprised.

"Very interesting; This might actually work; I am amazed," replied Snape.

"Thank you, sir, we were wondering if you would allow Ginny and I to work on this as a special project, it takes six weeks to complete the potion," asked Harry.

"Let me read the notes tonight and I will talk to you further tomorrow," Snape said.

"Thank you, sir," with that Harry left the room and Snape dealt with Nott.

* * *

The next morning, Professor Snape advised Harry that he had reviewed the work and was willing to work with them on brewing the potion. Because of the nature of the potion, he suggested that they use his private study as they would need to tend to it throughout the six weeks.

They quickly put together a schedule of who would be responsible for each part of the process. At certain times during the process, they needed to add ingredients or make adjustments, some of which fell during class time. After presenting a proposal to Professor Dumbledore, he agreed to allow them to miss lessons at those times. He notified their other Professor's without revealing why they needed to miss.

The next day found the most unlikely potion partners the school had ever seen. Professor Snape, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were working carefully, preparing the ingredients needed for stage one of the potion.

"Now, remember, once we have completed this stage, we must stir the potion five time clockwise every four hours for the next two weeks; if we miss even one, then we will have to start again," Professor Snape said.

"Yes, Professor," replied Harry.

They proceeded, making the potion following the instructions from Merlin. By the end of the second hour the potion looked exactly as it needed to.

"Well done, both of you," Professor Snape told them as they clean up.

"Thank you for your help Professor; and thank you for allowing us to do this," replied Harry.

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to work on something new. If this works, it will change a lot of things," Professor Snape replied.

* * *

Ginny couldn't believe it. They had been bonded for six months, and it had easily been the best six months of her life - despite the trauma of the kidnapping, and the incident with Ron. She had carefully planned for this day, unfortunately it fell on a school day so she had to work around that, but at least she had done something.

Harry slowly woke up. He was having a wonderful shared dream with Ginny earlier, but she had suddenly woken up. They knew that it was their subconscious mind telling them that if they crossed that line in their dreams, it would be much harder to resist in real life. He reached over to the bedside table for his glasses and was surprised to find Hedwig waiting for him with a note.

 _My Harry,_

 _Good morning, love. It has been six months since we bonded, and it's been the best six months of my life._

 _Meet me on our balcony at Potter Castle for breakfast._

 _Your Ginny_

Harry jumped out of bed, quickly took a shower, and got ready. On the way out of the room, he grabbed a small package out of his trunk. As soon as he was in the founder's study, he transformed and flashed to the balcony.

"Good morning, beautiful lady," Harry said as he bowed to her.

"Good morning, my handsome prince," she said as he took her hand and kissed it.

Harry quickly pulled her into a very passionate kiss that had them both breathless for several long minutes after they broke apart.

"Wow, Harry, can you believe it has been six months already?" said Ginny finally.

"Yes and no: yes because it has also been the best six months of my life; and no because I still can't believe it actually happened," replied Harry.

"I know what you mean, Harry, it amazes me sometimes, but it has all been worth it," Ginny said with a smile.

"Oh, it has been more than worth it, Ginny."

They quickly settled down for breakfast and quietly talked about everything that had happened to them, and what their hopes where for the future. Most people would have thought it strange that two people who were bonded and already knew everything the other thought, would take the time to talk about it; but that was a part of who they were. The bond was the most important thing in their lives and they would never give that up for anything, even if they could. However, it didn't mean they couldn't still be themselves.

After they had finished eating, Ginny gave Harry a present. It was a gold bracelet with stag and doe engraved into the band, on the back she had added the words 'Harry and Ginny, bonded as one for all time'.

"Wow, this is amazing, Ginny," Harry said as he thanked her with a long slow kiss.

"I got you something as well," Harry said as he reached into his pocket.

Harry added another charm to her bracelet; this time a Firebolt.

"Thank you, Harry, this is perfect." she said also thanking him with a kiss.

Unfortunately, they had to head back as lessons were about to start. They both transformed and flashed back to the study.

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly for them as they went to their lessons and spent time with together.

That evening, Ginny had arranged for dinner to be served outside on a cliff overlooking the great lake.

"Wow, this is amazing," Harry said as they stood the cliff and looked out.

"Yes, I used to come up here in my second year when I needed time alone," Ginny said sadly.

Harry already knew and pulled her into a hug, no words were needed; she knew that it was all in the past.

"Thank you," she said afterwards, "the sun should be setting soon, it is amazing to watch from here."

They quickly settled down and enjoyed the dinner that Maxim had prepared for them. After dinner, Harry conjured a blanket and they settled down to watch the sunset. It wasn't long before they were sharing a kiss. They didn't see the sunset that evening, as they were complete lost in each other.

"I guess we should head back," said Harry as he looked up at the starry sky.

"Yes, it is getting late," replied Ginny.

"Thank you for today, Ginny, it has been brilliant."

"Any time, Harry, I love you more each day," she said as they kissed one last time before heading back to the castle.

* * *

The morning of the third task had finally arrived, and Harry was a little nervous as he didn't know what challenges they would have to face. Professor Dumbledore had just announced that they would all be entering the maze at the same time; the first to reach the cup would be the winner.

He could barely hear what was being said as the crowd was so loud. Finally, he heard the canon fire and they all entered the maze. Behind them, the gap in the maze closed up and everything went quiet.

Harry turned to the other three, "I think that we should all work together to reach the cup. That way we will all be champions."

"Why would you want that, Harry," asked Cedric.

"I never wanted to be in this tournament in the first place. It was the impostor Crouch that put my name in and that was because they were trying to kidnap me," answered Harry.

"Professor McGonagall told us before the Yule Ball that the main purpose of the tournament was co-operation between the schools. What better way to show co-operation then to work together and get to the cup as a team," continued Harry.

"I agree," said Fleur, "we know how much it affected all of us when Ginny was kidnapped in the second task."

With that, the four of them made a pledge to work together to get to the cup.

"So, which direction should we head?" asked Victor.

' _Xavier can you see the cup,_ ' asked Harry.

' _Yes, Harry, it is in the middle of the maze._ '

"Okay, Xavier told me that it is in the middle of the maze, unfortunately, I promised Professor Dumbledore that I would not use Xavier to flash me to the location as that would be unfair to everyone else," stated Harry.

"Did you promise not to use him for guidance?" asked Cedric.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"Well, could he guide us through the maze by giving directions?"

"I don't see why not, it isn't like it is giving me an advantage now as we are working together, but he won't be able to help with any challenges we may face," replied Harry.

With that, Xavier guided them through the maze, the first challenge they faced was a simple logic puzzle that they were able to pass without incident. They continue to progress through the maze without finding anything else.

"I don't like this," stated Harry, "we have only had one challenge so far why would they make it so easy."

"I have a bad feeling about this too, Harry," stated Fleur.

' _Harry, there are Dementors ahead_ ' warned Xavier.

' _Surely, they didn't allow that,_ ' replied Harry.

"Watch out, Xavier just warned me there are Dementors ahead. This is definitely not right. I can't believe that Dumbledore would agree to having them in the maze," Harry said.

"Cedric, Victor do you know the Patronus Charm?" asked Harry.

"Yes," they both replied.

"Okay, let me go first; we have a variation that will hopefully destroy them, I haven't had a chance to test it yet," Harry told them.

They approached the location and spotted at least a dozen Dementors waiting. Harry wordlessly cast 'Incendio Patronum' and the others watched in amazement when a large fire Stag appeared before them. Harry quickly dispatched the Patronus towards the Dementors and watched in amazement when they were completely destroyed.

' _Well, I guess that answers that question,_ ' came Ginny's voice over the bond.

' _Yes, I guess so. Ginny, can you find Professor Dumbledore and ask him about the Dementors. We all have a bad feeling about this so far,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Okay, Harry, just be careful, please_ ' Ginny said as she got up to find the Professor.

The four champions took a break for a couple of minutes whilst they discuss the new Patronus, Harry taught each of them how to cast it and asked them to keep it a secret for now, the fewer people who know about it, the more damage they would be able to do if the Dementors attacked again.

Ginny had finally spotted the Professor off to one corner of the stadium talking to Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Dumbledore," Ginny said as she approached.

"Ah, Miss. Weasley, how is Mr. Potter doing?" he asked.

"That's why I came to find you, Professor; first we have confirmed that the fire Patronus works perfectly," explained Ginny.

The look of shock on Dumbledore's face told her that there should not have been Dementors in the maze.

"And your reaction to that news answers the second question, they found a dozen of them. Luckily, Xavier spotted them and warned Harry before they approached," continued Ginny.

"I see, Miss. Weasley, is there anything else?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, Professor, the four of them are working together to reach the cup and are concerned that so far the journey has been very simple, they have only had one logic puzzle to deal with and then the Dementors. They are almost to the centre of the maze and expected to at least face something more."

"Ah, well, I think we can explain at least some of that. The tasks were setup to activate when approached, however we expected them to be working individually to get the cup; because they are working together, the challenges are not activating," McGonagall explained.

"However, that still doesn't explain the Dementors being in the maze, and why they were waiting in a certain place; there are many unknowns about this situation," Dumbledore added.

Harry had been listening to the conversation but couldn't tell the others what he had learnt.

Back in the maze, the group came across several Acromantula blocking the entrance to where the cup was.

"Well, I guess we are going to have to fight our way through those," said Harry as they approached.

"If we all aimed a stunner at their eyes, it should knock them out," offered Cedric.

"Wow, I didn't know that; let's give it a try, but be careful if it doesn't work we may need to run," said Harry.

With that, the four of them cast their most powerful stunner at the nearest Acromantula. It quickly fell to the ground from the attack. Unfortunately, the others raced towards them and they ended up in a pitch battle with several Acromantula before they were finally able to stun the last one. All four of them sustained some injuries during the fight, but they were all minor. They quickly healed each other and then proceeded into the main area and approached the table that held the cup.

"Well, that was certainly exciting," said Cedric.

"I'm not sure that exciting is quite the word I would use," said Harry as he laughed.

"Well, at least we know what Hagrid's contribution to the maze was," said Cedric again.

"That's true, he will be upset with us if we killed any of them, however," replied Harry.

As he said that the first one they attacked started to move; thankfully Fleur was keeping a close watch on them so spotted it.

"We better get the cup and leave, they are starting to wake up already," she told them.

"Okay, on three we all grab the cup at the same time," said Harry.

"One, Two, Three," Harry continued.

Each of them touched the cup and the same time and felt the tug of a portkey activating.

Ginny was still talking with the Professor's when the group approached the cup.

"Professor, they have made it to the centre and are about to pickup the cup together," she told them.

"Thank you, Miss. Weasley, as soon as they touch the cup th.." Professor Dumbledore was saying when Ginny suddenly screamed and collapsed.

McGonagall was immediately at her side trying to revive her, with a very worried Professor Dumbledore looking on. They continued to tend to her for several long minutes before she finally came round long enough to say "Portkey" before falling unconscious again.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Xavier was flying high above the maze when the Portkey activated and took the four champions away.

' _Xavier, what is happening,_ ' asked Harry.

' _The cup has to be a Portkey, Harry. I know that this wasn't part of the original task because it was supposed to end when one of you touched the cup,_ ' replied Xavier.

' _Is there anything we can do at the moment?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Not until you have reached your destination, if we attempted to stop you now it would be very dangerous for all of you,_ ' replied Xavier.

' _Okay, in that case can you find out what happened to Ginny? I can sense her in the bond but she isn't responding,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Yes, Harry, I am heading there now. It seems that the shock of you disappearing caused her to pass out._ '

' _Thank you._ '

Xavier slowly made his way down towards arena; there were too many people around to flash in without hurting someone. As he came closer, a flash of green erupted from the stands and headed straight at Ginny. Without hesitation Xavier flashed directly into the path of the curse and landed in a pile of ash next to Ginny.

Professor Dumbledore noticed movement in the ashes and spotted the baby Xavier, he knew that it would be some time before he was fully recovered and would not even be able to communicate with Harry or Ginny for several days.

Harry noticed Xavier disappearance from the bond, but had no clue what this could mean. Why would he disappear? For the first time in a very long time Harry suddenly felt very alone. Ginny was still not responding and now Xavier had disappeared.

' _Harry,_ ' came the voice of Fawkes.

' _Fawkes, what is happening, I just lost contact with Xavier,_ ' said a very concerned Harry.

' _Harry, someone tried to kill Ginny,_ ' Fawkes started to say.

Harry gasped, he could still sense her in the bond so knew that she was okay but still it was a shock.

' _Is she okay Fawkes?_ ' asked a very worried Harry.

' _Yes, Harry, Xavier intercepted the Killing Curse and has been reborn,_ ' explained Fawkes.

' _Is he going to be okay?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Yes, he will be fine; normally it takes several days for a Phoenix to re-establish contact after the rebirth. I am going to take him to the Phoenix Realm to accelerate his growth._ '

' _Thank you, Fawkes_ '

Professor Dumbledore started to head towards where Xavier had landed when Fawkes flashed into the arena and landed next to Xavier. He left moments later with Xavier, after checking that Ginny was okay.

Whoever planned the attack knew what they were doing, by attacking Ginny they forced Xavier to protect her and therefore he was not able to help Harry. They had also inadvertently taken Fawkes out of the picture because he wanted to take Xavier to the Phoenix Realm.

In the stands the remaining members of the New Marauders, Bill, Charlie and Percy had all seen the attack on Ginny and what had happened to Xavier. Realizing that they needed to ensure Ginny's protection and also apprehend whoever was responsible they quickly decided to split up.

Neville, Luna, Percy and Charlie immediately headed towards Ginny and setup a perimeter around her and the two Professors.

"Professor's the others have headed into the stands to deal with those who attempted to kill Ginny," shouted Percy as they watched.

"Thank you Mr. Weasley," replied Professor Dumbledore.

"Do you have any ideas who it was?" he asked.

"Yes Professor, Pansy Parkinson and her friends."

Dumbledore sighed, he knew that they had been causing trouble all year but never expected them to attempt to kill someone. Things were definitely a lot worse than he realized.

As they were talking Madam Pomfrey arrived and immediately started checking Ginny. She quickly determined that she had passed out from shock and for some reason could not wake up.

Meanwhile Hermione, Fred, George and Bill quickly headed towards the stand where Parkinson and the others were located. As they approached they noticed that Parkinson was talking with Crabbe, Goyle and Nott. She obviously thought that no-one noticed it was her that attacked Ginny.

Hermione stopped and signalled to the others and whispered, "Guys, we need to hide ourselves and find out what they are talking about."

"Why?" asked Bill.

"Because they may know what happened to Harry and the others," replied Hermione.

"We should just stun them and then give them Veritaserum," replied Bill.

"We could yes, but this will be quicker and we don't know if they have the antidote," replied Hermione who was starting to get frustrated with the delay.

"True," replied Bill as he continued to watch the students closely.

They quickly cast the spell on themselves and slowly made their way into the stands.

"What happens now?" Crabbe asked Parkinson as he paced nervously.

"The Dementors should start attacking any minute," replied Parkinson.

"When they do we need to target anyone who casts a Patronus and kill them," she continued.

"What if they see us?" asked Goyle who was not comfortable being there.

"Our Lord will return tonight. Once that happens, then we will not have to worry. Even if they send us to Azkaban he will soon rescue us," replied Nott.

Before they could say anything else four Stunner's were fired at close range knocking them out. Just as they removed the Disillusionment Charm Professor's Snape and Flitwick arrived.

"Please explain what happened here?" asked Professor Flitwick as he checked the four students.

Hermione and Bill quickly explained what they had done and what they heard.

"Well done, that was fast thinking," Flitwick said.

"We need to warn Professor Dumbledore of the Dementors," Fred said as he started to leave.

* * *

The four champions finally landed, and they started looking around to determine where they had been taken. It didn't take long for them to realize they were in an old graveyard. Harry noticed shortly after they arrived that wards seemed to snap into place around them.

"What is happening?" asked Cedric as he looked around.

"I don't know," answered Harry, "this is not part of the tournament; I spoke with Xavier whilst we were travelling. Someone attempted to kill Ginny, after that I lost contact."

"We should look around and determine where we are," suggested Fleur.

Harry walked over to a large tomb and pushed away the weeds that had grown around it. Finally he was able to read the writing on the tomb and immediately realized that they were in trouble when he spotted the name Tom Riddle'.

"Guys this is not good, this is the grave yard of Voldemort's father," Harry told them as he walked back.

"How do you know, Harry?" asked Fleur.

"The tomb over there says Tom Riddle, Voldemort's real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle," Harry explained.

"Why would they bring us here then?" asked Cedric.

"They were not expecting all of us to get to the cup; just me. They have a ritual that should allow Voldemort to get a new body and they need his father's bones as part of that," Harry told them.

"So if we all leave now that will stop the ritual," Fleur said.

"After we arrived I felt wards snap into place, I believe they will prevent us from leaving. We are going to have to locate the anchor points for the wards, as that is the only way to create them over such a large area, then destroy at least two of them," explained Harry.

"What can we do Harry," asked Viktor who had been surveying the area to see if anyone else was around.

"We will need to split up and start searching, I suggest that you three Disillusion yourselves. That will give us the element of surprise. Viktor and Cedric stay together and start looking for the anchor points; I doubt they would have hidden them. You are looking for rocks or objects that have a number of Rune's on them. Once you find them destroy them as quietly as possible, they will know when the wards collapse."

The two boys quickly disappeared and started searching.

"Fleur, I want you to follow me there must be someone here. Don't do anything unless I am incapacitated, I want to keep the element of surprise," continued Harry.

"I don't like this Harry, what if something goes wrong," Fleur said.

"We don't have much choice Fleur, Bill would never forgive me if anything happened to you," he replied.

"He would forgive you, Harry. He loves you like his own brother. Especially since he has seen how much you care for Ginny," replied Fleur.

"That's good to know. You obviously care a lot for each other too. I am sure Bill wouldn't talk about that to just anyone," replied Harry with a smile.

Harry suddenly heard a noise from the other side of the graveyard; he could see a couple of figures coming towards them.

"Shh, someone is coming," Harry told her.

"So Potter we meet at last," said the taller of the men as they approached Harry.

"Oh sorry where are my manners? My name is Avery Nott and this is Walden Macnair," Nott told him.

Harry just stood there silently watching them. He knew they would talk a lot; it appeared to be a weakness of the Death Eaters. He could sense that Fleur was moving to the side of him to get a better view. He could not sense any others at the moment which surprised him.

' _Fleur, I don't like this, I expected more of them,_ ' projected Harry using a form of Legilimency. He sensed that Fleur moved slightly further away to determine if there were any others.

"Mr. Nott I can't say that it is a pleasure to meet you, I should have known that it was you involved in the plot," Harry said a while later.

"Well Potter you won't be escaping this time, we have worked very hard to ensure that you are here alone tonight. Your song bird is dead and your stupid girlfriend is out of the picture," Nott said in a mocking voice.

Harry was surprised that they knew of this so quickly, that meant they were communicating with someone at the school. He just hoped that they had already taken care of them. Of course he knew all about the attack on Ginny and that Xavier had taken the curse for her. The most important thing at the moment was that they were both still alive and would be fine.

"You're wrong, Nott," spat Harry. "Don't you know anything?"

"What are you talking about, Potter? I know plenty, thank you."

"Well, then you must know that Phoenixes cannot be killed, therefore what you just told me is wrong," Harry said in a mocking voice.

Harry saw a flicker of doubt in the eyes of Nott, he turned to Macnair and after a quick discussion turned back to face Harry.

"It doesn't really matter Potter, because tonight we are going to bring back the Dark Lord and then he is going to kill you," replied Nott as he confidently returned to him again.

"Well, I won't hold my breath on that one," replied Harry as he laughed.

Nott fired a stunner at Harry that he easily dodged, he choose not to retaliate yet to see what else they would do.

"Attacking an unarmed person? Oh how typical of your kind," sneered Harry.

He knew this would provoke them to attack him again; he was counting on it in fact, as he wanted to see if they were in contact with others. He therefore wasn't surprised when they both attacked at the same time. He quickly released his main wand and started duelling with the two Death Eaters, and firing curses so quickly that they barely had time to defend themselves.

"Not very good are you Nott?" mocked Harry.

"You will not win, Potter; if we wanted to kill you then you would be dead already. It just so happens that our master has need of you," replied Nott as he continued to fire curses at Harry.

Before Harry could respond he felt several more people approaching, somehow, they had managed to call for backup.

' _Fleur, there are more coming,_ ' projected Harry.

Harry was soon in a very intense battle with five Death Eaters, he knew that his shield would protect him but the others were still in the graveyard, and with the wards still working they would not be able to escape. He took out the new Death Eaters very quickly before he heard a scream; he knew immediately that they had captured Fleur.

"Surrender, Potter, or the girl will die," shouted Macnair as he held Fleur closely to his body.

Harry realized that he would not be able to attack Macnair at the moment as he didn't want to risk hitting Fleur so concentrated on Nott.

"Don't do it, Harry," shouted Fleur.

"Shut up you stupid bitch," shouted Macnair before hitting her.

"Okay, Okay I surrender," Harry shouted.

"See, Potter, you are no match for us," sneered Nott and he retrieved Harry's wand.

"Enough of this, you fools, he has already humiliated you," hissed another voice from inside of Notts robes.

"We are sorry, Master," replied Nott.

Macnair stunned and bound Fleur before securing Harry to the nearest gravestone.

Nott and Macnair then started to perform the ritual; a large cauldron appeared in front of Harry.

Viktor and Cedric had been searching for what seemed like hours; finally they had located what they believed to be one of the anchors.

"This looks like it," said Cedric quietly.

"Yes now we just have to determine if it is protected or not," replied Viktor.

"I wish Harry was here to help now, I am not sure how we can test it," replied Cedric.

"Let's hide behind this gravestone and cast a Bombarda at the stone. If it is protected we should be safe," suggested Viktor.

"Okay, let's just hope the Death Eaters don't hear it," said Cedric.

They crept behind the gravestone and Viktor cast Bombarda at the anchor and it shattered. Unfortunately, the wards, while weakened did, not collapse.

"Well, at least we know they are not protected; we will just have to find more," said Cedric as they headed off towards another corner of the graveyard.

"I hope that Harry and Fleur are okay, it seems too quiet to me," Viktor said as they walked.

"I am sure they are; Harry is one of the strongest people I know," replied Cedric.

"Yes it is quite amazing really. Who would have thought that a fourth year could compete in the Triward Tournament; and more importantly, bring all of us together."

* * *

Back at the arena, the scene was complete chaos. As Parkinson had said, a large number of Dementors started attacking the arena. The Professor's were ready for them but never expected such a large number.

Thankfully a few Order members were present that day so they quickly sent their Fire Patronuses at the Dementors. A total of fifteen Fire Patronuses where flying around the arena, however, they were unable to destroy the Dementors as fast as needed.

A number of standard Patronuses were also attacking the Dementors, but were only pushing them away. Those slowly disappeared as the students became too tired, or started to suffer the effects of the Dementors being too close.

Professor Dumbledore surveyed the arena to ensure everyone was safe. He spotted a group of students in the far corner attempting to escape from a group of Dementors. Realizing that they didn't have anywhere to run he rushed across the arena whilst firing his Patronus towards the Dementors. Unfortunately he was not quite fast enough and watched in horror as one of the second years, Ruth Jones, was kissed.

Moments later Madam Hooch was also trapped by the Dementors as she saw the last of the group to safety. Professor Dumbledore was able to destroy most of the Dementors around her but again not all of them. Just as the Patronus swung around to continue attacking one of the remaining Dementors grabbed Madam Hooch and she was also kissed.

Professor Dumbledore was devastated by what had happened; never in all his years as headmaster had a student died whilst under his care, and now he had also lost a close friend and colleague.

"We need to get help," shouted Fred.

"I wish Ginny was awake," replied George.

"There must be something we can do," Fred said as he continued to direct his Patronus.

"There are too many of them, we need to find out who is directing them," said George who had just avoided another Dementor.

They both approached Dumbledore, "Professor, we are going to hide ourselves and see if we can find the source of the attack."

"All right, but be careful, there are so many of them that we would not be able to help if they should catch you," replied Dumbledore.

With that the twins disappeared and started searching.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" said Nott as he dropped the bone into the cauldron.

"Flesh of the servant willingly given you will revive your master," continued Nott as Macnair chopped his hand off and allowed it to fall into the cauldron.

Nott then approached Harry with his knife drawn.

' _Harry,_ ' Xavier said over the bond.

' _Xavier, oh thank Merlin you are back, they are performing the ritual and no one is here to help,_ ' explained Harry.

' _I know Harry, unfortunately I am too weak to help at the moment but can offer you advice,_ ' replied Xavier.

' _What can I do, they are about to take my blood which is the last part of the ritual._ '

' _You can't stop it without revealing too much, however there is something that you can do,_ ' replied Xavier.

' _After they take your blood focus all your Phoenix magic on the blood and purge the magic from it,_ ' Xavier told him.

' _What will that do?_ ' asked Harry.

' _We believe that Voldemort wants your blood because of the protection offered by your mother's sacrifice. By purging the magic from your blood you will remove the protection. By the time he realizes they will not be able to do anything about it,_ ' replied Xavier.

Harry was quickly brought back to reality when Nott cut into his arm and allowed the blood to flow into a goblet. As instructed Harry focused all his Phoenix magic on the goblet and the blood.

' _That's it Harry,_ ' Xavier encouraged him.

' _How will we know if it worked,_ ' asked Harry?

' _We won't until after the ritual, unfortunately,_ ' replied Xavier.

Nott walked up to the cauldron "Blood of the enemy forcibly taken you will resurrect your foe," he said and poured the blood in.

They both stood back as the potion in the cauldron began to boil madly and shatter. Before their eyes Lord Voldemort started to appear again, his body slowly taking shape. They watched in awe as the process continued, not caring one bit about Harry who had already wandlessly healed the wound Nott had created.

Finally Voldemort stood before Nott and Macnair, who just stood there without moving. Harry noticed that his face had not fully reformed, his nose appeared to be two slits, his eyes were a bright red colour, and he was completely bald.

"My wand," Voldemort said to Nott.

Nott took the wand and knelt before his master, and presented it to him. Voldemort took the wand and immediately conjured robes for himself; he then turned to his servants.

"You have done well my servants, at least better than the other fools," Voldemort hissed.

"Thank you Master. We only wished to serve you," replied Nott as he continued to kneel not daring to move.

"Stand before me, Nott, and we will summon our friends," Voldemort said.

Nott stood before him and Voldemort pressed his wand into the Dark Mark on his left arm. In the sky above them, a larger version of the dark mark appeared. Several minutes later a number of people started appearing, all dressed in black robes and wearing masks.

"My friends, as you can see, I have returned. I must say I find myself very disappointed in all of you. Thirteen years I have been wandering alone, waiting for someone to find me, yet only now has anyone done anything about it?"

"Well, no matter, you are here now, which is something," continued Voldemort as he walked towards each of them.

"Now, you shall all witness the power of Lord Voldemort against the boy who stopped me all those years ago. I admit it; it was something that I should have considered, but never mind, it does not matter now," Voldemort said as he turned towards Harry.

"Mr. Potter, the boy-who-lived, I would introduce you to my friends but I believe you are as famous as me now," hissed Voldemort.

"You see, Potter, it was your mother's love that protected you then, but now your blood runs through my veins, and it can no longer protect you," Voldemort said as he came to stand in front of Harry.

Voldemort pushed his finger against the scar on Harry's head and immediately screamed as his finger started to burn up.

"That's impossible; your blood should have broken the protection," shouted an angry Voldemort.

"I guess that your fools screwed up the ritual then," mocked Harry.

"Not that it matters, really, you will not survive this time, Potter," replied Voldemort after healing his finger.

"Nott, return his wand, let see how he does in a duel against Lord Voldemort."

Nott quickly handed Harry his wand and returned to the others.

"I take it that old fool, Dumbledore, taught you how to duel, Potter. First we bow to each other, the formalities must be observed," said Voldemort.

Harry stood studying Voldemort and staunchly refused to bow to the man. This angered Voldemort a great deal, "I said bow, Potter." Harry never once took his eyes off of Voldemort and stood there definitely.

"Fine if you won't do it then I will, Imperio," shouted Voldemort. A smile started to spread across Voldemorts face but was soon replaced with annoyance as Harry threw off the curse with very little effort.

Voldemort immediately threw a Cruciatus Curse towards Harry which he easily avoided. He quickly fired a strong Stunning Curse back and quickly ducked behind a tomb stone to avoid the continual barrage of curses that were now coming from Voldemort.

"Hiding behind a tombstone? How disappointing," sneered Voldemort.

"I am not afraid of you, Tom Riddle," replied Harry.

"That is not my name, Potter, that name has no meaning for me now," replied Voldemort in an angry voice.

"Just because you chose to change your name, doesn't change the fact that you were once Tom Marlovo Riddle."

This angered Voldemort even further. Harry knew that he was pushing Voldemort, but really didn't care at the moment. His shield would be able to withstand anything Voldemort could throw at him, if he chose to use it. He just wanted to see if Voldemort would do something stupid when he got angry.

"You are weak like your stupid parents, Potter. They begged me to kill them when I finally caught them," sneered Voldemort.

Harry knew he was trying desperately to get a rise out of him; luckily he knew it wasn't true so didn't take the bait.

"They were not afraid of you, Tom; they stood up to you three times. It was only because their friend betrayed them that they ended up dying," replied Harry.

"Enough of this come; out and face me! Or are you a coward?" sneered Voldemort.

At this challenge, Harry stood and faced his nemesis. Without any further words they both cast at the same time.

"Avada Kedavra," screamed Voldemort

"Stupefy," shouted Harry.

The two spells collided and a connection between the wands was created. A large dome formed around the two of them. The other Death Eaters were pushed back as the dome grew. Harry could see the fear in Voldemort's eyes as he obviously didn't understand what was happening either. Seizing the opportunity, Harry quickly released his second wand and started firing powerful cutting curses directly at Voldemort.

Viktor and Cedric had located their second anchor stone and destroyed it too. Unfortunately this had not been enough to collapse the wards so they had to continue searching. Finally they had located a third one and they hoped that by destroying this one it would be enough to collapse the wards completely.

As before, they hid behind a gravestone before destroying the stone; it wasn't protected, but they didn't know what would happen when the wards collapsed.

This time, as the stone shattered, they felt the wards around them collapsing. A large explosion, towards the middle of the graveyard, indicated that the main anchor stone had been overloaded. This unfortunately alerted the other Death Eaters to the present of others in the graveyard.

"There are others here," shouted Nott. "Find them and bring there here, our Lord will want to deal with them once he has finished Potter."

The Death Eaters quickly spread out and started searching for them,

It wasn't long before the two boys were battling against a couple of Death Eaters. They had the advantage that they were still invisible, so were able to quickly take them down. The duel, however, had not gone unnoticed; and the other Death Eaters soon appeared and starting attacking.

Due to the large number of curses the Death Eaters were throwing, towards the area they were in, the boys were not able to avoid all of them. Cedric took a couple of cutting curses to the legs, and had been weakened, but was still able to battle. They were thankful that the Death Eaters were not using the Killing Curse as they would have surely been dead already.

There were only a couple of Death Eaters left when they heard a scream. Realizing that Fleur had been captured and that something was terribly wrong, they quickly finished off the last of the Death Eaters present and rushed towards where the screaming was coming from.

When they got to where Fleur, was they were horrified to find that the two remaining Death Eaters were both torturing her at the same time with the Cruciatus Curse. They obvious felt the other Death Eaters would have no problems dealing with whoever was in the graveyard so were not watching out for anyone. They were able to quickly take them out and rescue Fleur.

Voldemort watched in amazement as Harry started casting spells with his left hand as well. He knew it was possible as he could do it himself but he never expected Harry to be powerful enough to do it.

He immediately erected the strongest shield he could and the curses bounced off harmlessly.

"Sorry, Potter, you are going to have to do better than that," sneered Voldemort as he sent a curse back at Harry.

"If you insist, Tom," replied Harry as he dodged Voldemort's curse. He fired back three more powerful curses that shattered Voldemort's shield and struck his left arm. After that, Harry specifically targeted various areas of Voldemort's body. He managed to sever his left arm completely several curses later.

For the first time in very many years, Voldemort actually felt afraid, he was being completely outclassed by a 14 year old. He didn't understand the connection between the wands and therefore was reluctant to break it.

Several curses later, Harry Potter had brought the most feared Dark Lord for very many years, to his knees; and it didn't look like he would be stopping anytime soon.

' _Guy's, you need to get out of here, Voldemort is very angry at the moment and I don't want anything to happen to you,_ ' projected Harry to Cedric.

He could see that Cedric was confused so continued.

' _I am able to hold off Voldemort, but with you here it's more dangerous. As soon as you are gone, I am going to break the connection and also escape,_ ' projected Harry again.

"Harry wants us to leave him here," Cedric told Viktor who was supporting an unconscious Fleur.

"How do you know that?" asked Viktor.

"He projected it to my mind. I have heard of people being able to do that and it doesn't surprise me that he can," replied Cedric.

"But what about Harry, we cannot leave him here," said Viktor.

"He will be able to escape, but while we are still here he won't try," replied Cedric.

' _GO, NOW!_ ' shouted Harry via the projection.

"We have to go, we can debate this back at Hogwarts," shouted Cedric.

Viktor quickly scooped Fleur up into his arms as Cedric placed a hand on his shoulder and summoned the Triward Cup. As they had hoped it whisked them away once Cedric caught it.

Suddenly several orbs of light appeared out of Voldemort's wand and formed into people, Harry realized they were people that had been killed by the wand. He watched in awe as two more orbs appeared and settled right next to him. He continued to fire cutting curses at Voldemort while this was happening, not letting anything tear his attention from the job at hand.

"Harry," said a woman to his left.

"Mum?" Harry said in an uncertain voice, being careful to not loose focus on Voldemort.

"Yes, Harry, you need to break the connection to Voldemort and escape," Lily told him.

"Son, we are very proud of you, but now is not the time to face Voldemort," came the voice that must have been James.

"Dad, what is happening?" asked Harry.

"I'm sorry son we don't have time to explain; we can only linger for a few moments after you break the connection. As soon as you do, transform and flash back to Ginny," James told him.

"Harry we both love you very much," they said together.

Harry cast several very powerful cutting curses at Voldemort's right arm, severing it completely which broke the connection. He watched for a second as the spirits that had appeared, all rushed towards Voldemort. Then he transformed and was gone.

The three champions arrived back at Hogwarts in the mist of a massive battle against the Dementors; thankfully most of the Dementors had already been destroyed. Cedric and Viktor quickly moved towards Madam Pomfrey who was still treating Ginny and explained what had happened to Fleur. They then both added their own Fire Patronuses to those already around the arena and quickly helped destroy the remaining Dementors.

Unfortunately, the damage had been done. Before the end, several more students had been kissed as well as Madam Hooch and Ruth Jones.

Bill rushed over to Madam Pomfrey and asked if there was anything he could do to help Fleur. It was well known that they were dating now, so she immediately asked him to take her to the Infirmary for treatment.

Once they had ensured the safety of the remaining students, Professor Dumbledore turned to the two champions to find out what was happening. They quickly explained what had happened in the graveyard, Dumbledore was saddened to learn that Voldemort was back but at least heartened to learn that Harry was holding his own against him.

"Can't we Apparate to the graveyard," asked Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, Harry, specifically told us that he would attempt to escape as soon as we left. Sending others may stop him from doing that as he will try to protect them. You know as well as anyone that he would," replied Cedric.

"Yes we do, but we have to try and do something, do you remember any details about the graveyard that would help us?" replied Dumbledore.

"There was a large house up the hill," replied Cedric before he could continue a flash of light announced the arrival of a Phoenix.

Everyone looked on in amazement as the Phoenix landed next to Ginny Weasley and immediately transformed into Harry Potter.

Harry sank down to the ground and pulled Ginny into his lap and started to caress her face.

Professor McGonagall looked at Dumbledore in shock.

"Since when has Mr. Potter been an Animagus and how come he is a Phoenix?" asked McGonagall.

"That is not something that I can reveal Minerva," replied Dumbledore. He didn't give her a chance to say anything else as he quickly walked towards Harry.

"Mr. Potter, I am very sorry to interrupt, but can you please tell us what happened?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

Harry was pouring all his love into the bond. He had not even heard Dumbledore's question.

' _Come on, Ginny, I am back and okay,_ ' Harry kept saying.

After several more minutes she finally started responding.

' _Harry, is that you?_ ' asked Ginny.

' _Yes, love it's me; Xavier, is okay too._ '

' _What happened?_ ' she asked.

Harry shared all the memories with Ginny as they sat there. He continued to hold her close, and she saw everything that had happened.

' _As you can see, I'm okay,_ ' Harry said afterwards.

' _What happened to me?_ ' she asked.

' _The shock of the Portkey caused you to pass out,_ ' answered Harry.

' _Thank you, Harry, I love you._ '

' _I love you too, Gin. I think its time for you to get some rest._ '

Ginny nodded and he felt her relax against him.

Harry felt a hand gently shaking him. He had been so focused on Ginny, that he had not heard anything that had been said for the last ten minutes.

"How is she?" asked Dumbledore.

"She is okay, Professor; she is resting at the moment."

"Are you able to tell us what happened at the graveyard?" asked the Professor.

"Yes Sir," but I only want to say it once.

"Okay, why don't we take Miss Weasley up to the infirmary and then we can discuss this in my office," replied Dumbledore.

"Ginny is staying with me, Professor; I don't trust anyone else at the moment."

Harry picked her up and focused all his Phoenix magic on Dumbledore's office, he wasn't sure if it would work but wasn't up to walking all the way. A second later all those present watched in complete shock as Harry and Ginny disappeared in a flash of fire.

"That's impossible," said Hermione, who had been watching the whole time.

"Well, Miss Granger, it appears that Mr. Potter has just shown us all that it is not impossible," replied Professor Dumbledore.

As they were talking, a Stag Patronus appeared and told them that they were both in his office waiting.

"Unfortunately the rest of us will have to take the old fashioned approached," continued Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes.

As they started to walk towards the castle Fawkes returned.

' _Ah, my friend, would you mind flashing us to my office,_ ' asked Dumbledore. Moments later they all arrived in the office with Fawkes.

They immediately noticed that Xavier had also returned and was currently being petted by Ginny and Harry.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

At the graveyard, a very badly injured Voldemort was stranded; most of the death eaters that were present had been stunned, and without his arms, Voldemort could not do anything. He just hoped that someone woke up before anyone else found them.

Ten minutes later several of the Death Eaters started to wake up, and upon seeing their Master gravely injured, quickly attempted to heal him. There wasn't anything they could do about his arms, but they were able to at least heal his other wounds and stop the bleeding.

"Where is Potter?" asked Voldemort.

It as obvious that none of them wanted to tell Voldemort what really happened but knew that they would have to. Reluctantly, Nott approached and knelt before him.

"We are sorry, Master; there were three others with Potter when he arrived. We didn't know they were here and they were able to collapse the wards."

"You owe your lives to Harry Potter. If he had not incapacitated me, you would be dead were you kneel," sneered Voldemort.

"However, I do have a long memory, I suggest you sort this out quickly."

"Yes, my Lord," replied Nott as he backed away.

"We need to leave as soon as possible. I am certain that Dumbledore will send some people here to investigate, and we don't want anyone else to know the truth," Voldemort told them.

"Nott, I want you to find Snape and bring him before me, I am very annoyed that he wasn't here today, and I want to know why."

"Yes, my Lord," Nott replied before disappearing.

The other Death Eaters removed any evidence that anything had happened at the graveyard before leaving.

The office was full of people: Professor's Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick, Auror's Tonks and Shacklebolt, Sirius Black, the Weasley's minus Ron, Fleur Delacour, who was still recovering from the Cruciatus, and the members of the New Marauders.

Once everyone had settled down Harry proceeded to tell them what had happened at the graveyard, and about the battle with Voldemort. He even showed the memory of the whole thing so they could see the events as they happened; they were all amazed to see the duel with Voldemort.

Once they had seen the memories they all had questions for Harry, and they all proceeded to ask them at the same time.

After attempting to get everyone to quiet down, Harry caused a loud crack to ring out in the office, finally they all stopped talking. Harry looked at them all and said "I am happy to answer questions but can we please do them one at time?"

"Sorry, Harry, yes that would be better," said Professor Dumbledore.

"I will warn you that I may not answer some of the questions. I also need everyone to promise that nothing that is revealed here will ever be spoken outside of those present now," Harry said.

When everyone agreed to what Harry asked he sat down.

"Let me start by saying that I am very impressed at how you handled the whole situation. There are many fully qualified wizards who would not have stood a chance against Voldemort. Yet you were holding your own against him and made it look easy," stated Dumbledore.

Professor Snape spoke next, "Potter I can tell you now that Voldemort is not going to be happy about what you have done. The fact that you severed both of his arms will make it almost impossible for him to do anything about it. You know that his revenge is going to be nasty don't you?"

"Yes, Professor, but we also know that he is going to need the best Potion's Master available to help him," replied Harry. "A man who will be trusted even more if he were able to repair the damage."

Professor Snape nodded at Harry acknowledging the compliment from him. "I am curious as to why you didn't kill him however?"

"Mainly because we don't know why he didn't die last time. I suspected that whatever he did is still in effect, so it would be pointless. At least now we know that he is back and well be able to keep track on him."

"I am curious about a couple of things, why do you have two wands and where did the second one appear from?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Ginny and I invented wrist holders to keep our wand on us at all times," started Harry.

"How can that work they are too long to be stored on the wrist, the Auror's have been working on a way to do that for years," asked Tonks.

"We realized that would be a problem; Ginny was the one that came up with the solution. Basically the holder shrinks the wand when it retracts it and returns it to normal size when it releases it."

"Wow, that is brilliant, you don't know how useful that would be for the Auror's," said Tonks.

"We would like to keep it a secret at the moment, as it would also benefit the Death Eaters; however I am happy to supply some of the holders to members of the Order."

"As to the second wand, I always carry two wands at all times just in case anything happens to my main wand," replied Harry.

"Thank you, Harry, I do have one more question. During your duel with Voldemort, you started casting with the second wand while the first was connected to Voldemort's; when did you learn to do that?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I am not ready to share that information at the moment," replied Harry.

"Harry, what did you mean when you told Nott that you were not surprised he was involved?" asked Professor McGonagall.

Harry looked over at Professor Snape before answering; he gave a quick nod to say it was okay.

"Recently, during a meeting with Professor Snape. We discovered that Theodore Nott was spying on the Professor. I was able to stun him and we chose to Oblivate him so he would not realize that he had been discovered. I suspect that he was involved in the placement of the Portkey and the attack on Xavier. As you saw from the memories, his father knew what had happened to Xavier and Ginny, so he must have been passing the information to them."

"Thank you, Harry; yes we have confirmed that he was involved in the plot. Thanks to the work of Hermione, Fred, George and Bill, we were able to apprehend those responsible," said Professor Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall spoke again, "Harry, how long have you been an Animagus?"

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to answer this, so instead he asked, "Professor, if I answer this, will you require us to register?"

"What do you mean us?" asked McGonagall.

Harry suddenly realized his mistake; however Ginny came to the rescue.

"Professor, did you really think that Harry could become an Animagus without me knowing?" asked Ginny.

She smiled before replying, "Sorry, I should have guessed, and no, I don't believe we need you to register - at the moment."

Harry then went on to explain why they had done it and amazed everyone by announcing that they had multiple forms.

They continued to ask Harry questions. Most of them he was able to answer; a couple he didn't feel comfortable answering as it would give too much away at the moment.

Several hours later, Harry finally told them that he was rather tired after everything that had happened, and bid them all goodnight.

' _Ginny, will you stay with me tonight in the study?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Of course, Harry; I don't want to be alone tonight either,_ ' replied Ginny.

They made their way up to the study, and went into the main bedroom; they quickly climbed into bed and fell asleep.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore arranged a meeting with Minister Fudge to explain what had happened at the end of the Triward Tournament. He had told him of the plots during the year to kidnap Harry, and the ritual that they planned to use to bring back Voldemort.

"Albus, you can't serious expect us to believe a fourteen year old attention seeker?" Fudge said.

"Minister there were three other witnesses who saw Voldemort return," answered Dumbledore.

"Let me guess they are all friends of Potter," replied the Minister.

"It was the four champions, Minister. Are you trying to say that they are all seeking attention?" asked Dumbledore.

"Of course they are, I bet that Potter put them up to it when he conned them into grabbing the cup at the same time. Never in the history of the tournament have all the champions won," replied Fudge.

"You have to be kidding, Minister. You are risking a major international issue if you continue down this line," replied Dumbledore.

"Don't tell me what to do, Dumbledore. I don't have to answer to you. We sent Aurors to the graveyard and found nothing."

"Minister, you are letting Voldemort control the Ministry through your lack of action. We have to warn people that he has returned," Dumbledore said.

"I will not hear another word about this! He-who-must-not-be-named has not returned. This is just an attempt by Harry Potter to get even more fame."

"So you can explain why the Dementors attacked the school then, Minister; I believe that they are still under Ministry control?" said Dumbledore.

"How dare you, Dumbledore, I don't know why the Dementors attacked the school. Maybe it was the poor management at the school that allowed it to happen."

Fudge immediately turned away from Dumbledore and addressed Percy Weasley "Mr. Weasley, please draft a new law stating that anyone found spreading the lies that he-who-must-not-be-named has returned will be fined 1000 galleons."

"Minister, I beg you to see reason; we cannot afford to let Voldemort rise back to power," Dumbledore said.

"Albus, I will warn you only once, he is not back, and if you continue to question me on this I will take action against you," replied Fudge.

"You are making a big mistake, Minister, I just hope that we are able to survive when it all comes crashing down around your head," Dumbledore said, and he streaked out of the ministers office.

"Mr. Weasley, as soon as that law is drafted, please organize an emergency session of the Wizengamot so that they can review the law, we have enough votes to pass it without any challenges. Please ensure that Dumbledore doesnt find out about the meeting," Fudge told him.

"Yes, sir, I will have it done within the hour," replied Percy.

* * *

Everyone had gathered in the Great Hall for the funeral of the five people who had been kissed during the Dementor attacked. It was with great sadness that Professor Dumbledore addressed everyone.

"Today we remember the lives of five remarkable; people who were taken from us before their time. We must never forget them and the work that they performed so valiantly. With that in mind, we have created a plaque that will commemorate those selfless actions. It will be placed in the entrance hall for all to see."

"Please join me in standing as we read out the names of those who died."

Dumbledore gave them a moment to stand before proceeding.

"Madam Rolanda Hooch, Hogwarts Flying Instructor; Ruth Jones, a second year from Ravenclaw; Abigial Hart, a first year from Gryffindor; Matthew Getley, a fifth year from Slytherin, and Fred Hornsby, a second year from Hufflepuff."

Professor Dumbledore held a minute of silence after reading the names, then Professor McGonagall made her way to the podium. The normally stern appearance was gone and her face showed the grief that they all felt. Everyone quickly sat down again.

"Madam Rolanda Hooch has been a valued colleague and friend for many years. Even when she was a student herself, she loved to fly. It wasnt surprising that when the Flying Instructor position became available that she applied. Her greatest pleasure came from watching first years, that had never flown before, lift into the air. It wasnt always easy and she had her share of student visits to the infirmary, but she never gave up on anyone."

"It was with that same sense of purpose that she helped rescue those students that terrible day, only to fall victim to the same fate. When the Dementors overran the arena and kissed her. We must never forget the sacrifice that Madam Hooch made."

When McGonagall had finished speaking Karen Smyth approached the podium.

"Ruth and I have been friends since we were very young. She was full of life and so happy when we finally received our Hogwarts letters. Since arriving at Hogwarts, she never once cared about which house someone was in; she made many friends and I know each and every one of us will miss her," she said with tears running down her face.

"Ruth would want to be remembered for breaking down the house barriers, and her remarkable ability to love everyone," said Karen as she started to sob.

Professor McGonagall helped Karen back to her seat after she had finished, the realization of her loss had finally hit home as she spoke.

Abigail Hart and Fred Hornsby were remembered also; their friends had conveyed similar memories of them.

Blaise Zabini was the last student to approach the podium, "Matthew was a remarkable friend. When he first came to Hogwarts he desperately wanted to play Quidditch and in his second year got the opportunity. For the last three years, Matthew played every game and continued to work hard; he was constantly at the top of his classes. Despite what you all may think, there are some of us who realize the value of friends, and that house affiliations are superficial. Matthew was one of those. He often crossed the forbidden line and made friends where he would."

"I will never forget my friend who stood up to be counted when it matter the most. He saved several people lives including my own before the Dementors finally got to him. We should all remember his sacrifice," Blaise said.

As with the other speeches, the hall erupted into applause.

Professor Dumbledore once again approached the platform.

"As we have seen today, these remarkable people were valued friends and colleagues. Each of them have made a contribution to our lives that will never be forgotten."

"We all need to realize that the Dementors dont care about age, or status, when they attack; it is significant that no house was left untouched after this attack."

"Some believe that Lord Voldemorts quest to rid the world of those he classes as Blood Traitors or unclean is justified; they need to look back upon this day and realize that three of those who died where from pureblood families."

"We cannot allow Lord Voldemort to dictate our beliefs. Are you all aware that Voldemort himself is actually a half-blood?" continued Dumbledore as he surveyed the hall. He wasn't surprise to see a number of people look shocked at the news.

"I will leave you all to consider that as you think back on what has happened," Dumbledore said. He departed from the platform and attended to the family members that were present, so they could take the coffins away for burial.

Everyone else waited respectfully until the coffins had been removed, then exited the Great Hall in an orderly fashion.

* * *

Three days after Harry and Voldemort had duelled, Nott finally made contact with Snape. He had waited because of all the attention at the school after the attacks.

"Snape," Nott said as he approached.

"What do you want, Nott? I cannot stay long."

"Our Lord has returned and requires your presence," replied Nott.

"Why didn't he summon me then?" asked Snape who already knew he couldn't.

"He dispatched me to get you; maybe he didn't want to waste his time summoning you."

"Well, then take me to him; I cannot be away much longer, otherwise Professor Dumbledore will notice," replied Snape.

Nott handed Snape a Portkey which took him directly to the room that Voldemort was recovering in. Thankfully, Snape was already aware of the injuries to Voldemort so was able to control his response at the sight that greeted him.

"Ah, Severus, my old friend," said Voldemort when Snape appeared.

"My Lord, it is good to see you once again" said Snape.

"I am surprised I didn't see you sooner," said Voldemort with a hint of accusation in his voice.

"I couldn't get away, Master; it would have blown my cover as your spy to leave so quickly after your return. I have waited these three days trying to find a way. Once Nott made contact, it was easy to get away for a short time," said Snape.

"Well done, Severus. You are right, of course; if you had come earlier and blown your cover, then you would have been less useful to me. What do you have to report of the activities since my return?" Voldemort asked.

"Potter told Dumbledore of your return," replied Snape.

"And what has he done about this," asked Voldemort.

"He has alerted Fudge who, I am pleased to report, doesn't believe a word of it, and believes that Potter is just seeking attention," replied Snape.

"Thank you, my friends, that is wonderful news. I am curious to find out how Potter was able to beat me once again, and why the blood protection wasn't cancelled when they used his blood." Voldemort said.

"I am unable to answer that, Master. I was not aware of what happened at the graveyard, and Potter did not mention anything about the blood protection," replied Snape.

"Severus, I have another matter that I need you to deal with," Voldemort told him.

"Anything, Master," replied Snape.

"I need a potion that can re-grow my arms," replied Voldemort.

"I will see what I can do, Master, it will take a number of days to brew a potion," explained Snape.

"Thank you, Severus I will be expecting you soon," Voldemort said as he dismissed him.

Snape quickly returned to Hogwarts and explained what he had learned, and what Voldemort had requested.

"Professor, we cannot risk Voldemort discovering your true allegiance, therefore we have to make the potion," said Harry.

"I agree, Severus, we have a huge advantage at the moment and need to make use of it," added Dumbledore.

"I agree, I already know which potion to use. It will take several weeks brew and over a month for the arms to fully grow back," replied Snape.

* * *

At breakfast, a few days after the return of Voldemort, Hedwig flew in with a copy of the Prophet. Harry could tell already that he wasn't going to like what he saw.

 _ **Minister denies rumours of of the return of he-who-must-not-be-named**_  
 _ **by Rita Skeeter**_

 _ **This morning, Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, held a press conference to answer the rumours that he-who-must-not-be-named had returned. During the conference he accused Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore of lying and for seeking attention.**_

 _ **"It saddens me to report that Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore have decided to report that he-who-must-not-be-named has returned. They, however, have not offered any evidence that this is true, we all know that Harry Potter is always seeking fame since returning to the Wizarding World. Unfortunately, Albus Dumbledore seems to have been fooled by Harry Potter and is blindly accepting what he is telling him.**_

 _ **It does bring into question, the education of our young people when the headmaster would allow such lies to be spread by a student. The Ministry will be reviewing the actions of the headmaster before the new school term starts in September."**_

 _ **In related news, the Ministry has also announced that anyone found spreading the lies that he-who-must-not-be-named has returned will be fined 1000 galleons.**_

 _ **French Ministry of Magic breaks ties**_  
 _ **by Rita Skeeter**_

 _ **It has come to our attention that the actions of Minister Cornelius Fudge, relating to the events that followed the end of the Triward Tournament, have caused the French Ministry of Magic to break all ties.**_

 _ **When questioned about his actions, Minister Fudge responded, "Just like Harry Potter, Ms Delacour is bitter about having to share first place with the other champions. The prize money from the Triward Tournament was shared between each of them and therefore is seeking additional compensation. It is the belief of this office that Harry Potter himself has put her up to this action to embarrass the English Ministry."**_

 _ **When French Minister Christina Albanel asked Fudge to explain his comments, he refused to back down, and further more accused the French Minister of attempting to undermine his authority.**_

Harry looked from the paper to his friends. They had all seen the memories of the events in the graveyard; they knew that Harry was telling the truth. However, at the moment, it appeared that there was nothing that could be done.

"Well, at least we know the truth," said Harry.

"But without the backing of the Ministry what can we do?" asked Hermione.

"We can continue to train as we have, Hermione. Voldemort is not going to remain hidden for ever; when he does come out of hiding, we are going to need to be ready. And we can be certain that he isn't going to rest until he has killed me; not after the events in the graveyard."

"But what about the fines," asked Neville?

"We will just have to be very careful who we talk to. If it comes down to it, then I will pay them for each of you but whatever happens we are not going to stop telling people to be ready," said Harry.

They continued to eat their breakfast while they discussed what they would do and who they could trust.

* * *

Two weeks later, Professor Snape completed the potion that Voldemort needed. After several discussions with Harry, they had decided to add some extra ingredients that would make the whole process much more painful and take longer to work.

He Apparated back to the hideout to administer the potion.

"Master, I am sorry it took so long; the formula is was more complex than I realized," Snape said as he entered.

"Severus, I was starting to doubt you would return," Voldemort hissed.

"Master, I have never broken my word to you," Snape answered.

"That is true, well let's get on with this."

"Master, the potion will basically re-grow your arms. It will be very painful and take at least two months to complete," Snape told him.

"Just get on with it, Severus. I don't care about the pain, but I do need the use of my arms," replied Voldemort who was starting to get annoyed.

"Yes, Master."

Snape administered the potion and explained that he would need to take more each week until his arms had completely re-grown. There was enough potion available to complete the process. Snape advised him that he would return each week to check the progress and determined if anything else needed to be done.

Voldemort thanked Snape for his assistance and then dismissed him.

The next day while in intense pain, Voldemort summoned Nott and Macnair.

"You called, Master," they said as they entered the room and knelt before him.

"Yes, I want you both to organize an attack on the Hogwarts Express using Dementors. Potter and his friends will pay for what they have done. The train will not be as well defended and we will be able to do a lot of damage before help arrives," Voldemort told them.

"Yes, Master," they replied before quickly leaving the room.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

Two days before the exams were due to start, Bill had arranged for a meeting with Harry to discuss the investigation into his Uncle's activities. Harry waited for Bill in the entrance hall so that he could escort him to the Study. Ever since the attack on the school, security had been tightened and visitors required an escort. Normally this would be a teacher but Harry had arranged with Professor Dumbledore to escort Bill explaining that it was a private meeting.

"Good morning, Bill," said Harry as he entered the main door.

"Morning, Harry," replied Bill.

Harry yawned. "How are you this morning?"

"I am doing well, thank you," replied Bill.

"We are going to meet in the Study as normal, Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to escort you," explained Harry as they headed towards the main stairs.

They walked in silence for a while before Bill stopped walking, "Harry, Fleur told me what you talked about at the graveyard."

"Oh?" said Harry thinking this wasn't going to be good.

"I thought that I should tell you myself. Ever since you and Ginny bonded I have seen just how much you care for her. If I had any doubts at all, they were completely erased when you returned from the battle with Voldemort. It was clear that your main concern was Ginny.

"What I'm trying to say, Harry, is that I would do anything for either of you and am happy that you are a part of the family." Bill looked deep into Harry's eyes, showing how serious he was.

"Thank you. I know that we are both still young but we didn't have any choice in what happened. It does make it easier having the support of most of the family."

Bill didn't bother responding to the comment. It was obvious who Harry was talking about, and it was still a touchy subject for the whole family.

When they arrived in the Study they found a smiling Ginny sitting on the couch. She had heard the whole conversation between Harry and Bill, and it warmed her heart that her favourite brother had said that. She quickly jumped out of the seat and gave Bill a famous Weasley hug.

They quickly settled down to discuss the investigation.

"Harry, we have found that the corruption goes all the way to the Managing Director," explained Bill.

"Oh, that isn't good. What can we do about it?" asked Harry.

"We are going to charge the Managing Director Samuel Roberts with fraud and have him removed immediately. We have a replacement lined up who has working in the industry for a long time and is trusted by the Goblins. He is a wizard but has worked with Muggles for a long time."

"What about my Uncle?" asked Harry.

"We have a lot of evidence against him too. Once we have dealt with Mr. Roberts we are going to have a company meeting to introduce the new Managing Director. In that meeting, we will also explain that Vernon is being arrested for fraud. We felt that it was better to ensure it was done publicly because there are a number of people who have been affected by his actions."

"Wow, he is going to be very upset about this," replied Harry.

"Yes, we suspect that he will be. There will be several detectives with us when he is charged. They will take him directly to the Police Station."

"Will I be mentioned during this?" asked Harry who was starting to get really nervous.

Ginny noticing his discomfort gentle took his hands into hers and slowly rubbed his knuckles. This quickly calmed him down so they could continue talking.

"No, Harry, after discussing it with the Goblins we decided that it would be better not to mention your name. If it became public knowledge that you owned the company then it could become a target for the Death Eaters," explained Bill.

"When will all this happen?" asked Ginny.

"They day after you return from Hogwarts," replied Bill.

Harry nodded, "Thank you, Bill."

"It was a pleasure, Harry. After what I learnt from Ginny about the way they treated you as you grew up, it was the very least I could do," replied Bill.

Bill quickly left to find Fleur as he had the rest of the day off. Harry and Ginny just relaxed in the Study thinking about what they had learned.

* * *

The next day Harry and Ginny were laying near the lake, relaxing. They had already done all the revision they were going to do and wanted some time alone. Ever since the end of the Triward Tournament everyone had wanted their time to talk about what had happened.

After several hours of just laying in the sun, Harry rolled on his side and looked at the resting Ginny. He slowly moved his hand to her face and gently caressed her. She enjoyed the warm sensation of his hand on her cheek and slowly opened her eyes to look deep into his. Even though she knew without any doubts that Harry loved her unconditionally, it sent a thrill through her body when she saw the love in his eyes. Harry slowly leaned down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

' _Have I told you today, just how beautiful you are?_ ' asked Harry.

' _Nope, not yet,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Well, how careless of me,_ ' Harry said has he started spreading small kisses across her face.

' _Ginny Potter, you are the most amazing, beautiful, loving person I have ever known,_ ' Harry told her as he continued to kiss.

' _Why, thank you, Harry Potter. I have to say you are not so bad yourself,_ ' she replied pulling him into another deep passionate kiss.

They continued to relax for several more hours, occasionally kissing or snuggling together. They were startled out of their quietness when a loud pop announced the arrival of someone. Harry immediately jumped up with his wand at the ready when he spotted Maxim with a large dinner. He had completely forgotten that he had arranged for Maxim to serve dinner.

"Good evening," Maxim said as he set out the dinner.

Harry smiled. "Thank you, very much, Maxim."

"You're welcome, Harry, will there be anything else?"

"Actually there is one thing; Ginny and I will be moving to the castle at the end of the school term. Please ensure that the Master suite, and at least eight guest suites are ready?"

"Certainly, Harry, they will be ready when you arrive," answered Maxim.

"Thank you, Maxim, we will take care of these afterwards," replied Harry as he pointed to the table Maxim had set.

They quickly settled down for dinner, the meal was full of their favourite food as usual. They took their time enjoying the food as they listened to Xavier and Fawkes singing above them.

They sat back down on a blanket after dinner and just watched the stars for several more hours before deciding to head back to the castle.

As they were walking across the grounds close to Hagrid's hut, they spotted several people approaching them.

"Potter," shouted Nott.

"What do you want, Nott?" replied Harry.

"To get revenge for my Master, Potter," shouted Nott as he cast a killing curse directly at Harry.

Harry and Ginny just stood there watching the curse as it seemed to slowly fly towards them. The look of joy on Nott's face was soon replaced by confusion, when a gold shield appeared directly in front of Harry and absorbed the curse.

None of the attackers had been aware that Fawkes and Xavier were above them, Fawkes quickly disappeared to get help while Xavier surveyed the scene.

' _Harry, do you need any assistance?_ ' asked Xavier.

' _Not at the moment, Xavier,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Okay, Fawkes has gone to get Professor Dumbledore,_ ' replied Xavier.

' _Thank you, we are going to let them dig a nice deep hole for themselves,_ ' replied Harry.

"What is it with you people? Do you really think you are good enough to kill me, Nott?" mocked Harry.

Nott didn't respond in words but instead cast another killing curse - this time at Ginny; again the shield absorbed the curse.

"Nott, if Voldemort couldn't beat me what makes you think you even have half a chance," said Harry.

"You didn't face Voldemort, Potter, you ran away like a scared animal when he returned," sneered Nott.

"Is that what Voldemort told you?" he laughed.

"One of these days you will get what you deserve, Potter," shouted Nott.

"I have heard that many times, Nott. And yet, each time, I am still standing and those who threatened me are now in Azkaban," replied Harry.

Harry spotted Fawkes and Professor Dumbledore when they silently appeared behind Nott, Crabbe and Goyle.

The headmaster didn't take any action immediately, but watched the confrontation, knowing that Harry and Ginny were perfectly capable of defending themselves.

Nott was getting angrier by the minute as Harry continued to mock Voldemort. He cast several more killing curses at Harry. Harry and Ginny had had enough and launched stunners towards each of the three attackers.

"Is that the best you can do, Potter?" said Nott as he watched the stunner approach his shield.

Seconds later, he collapsed to the ground as the shield barely even slowed the stunner down. Crabbe and Goyle had already fallen to Ginny's stunners.

Professor Dumbledore quickly bound the three of them so that he could deal with them later. He dispatched a message to the Aurors and then spoke with Harry and Ginny.

"I am very proud of both of you," stated Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Professor," they replied.

"You have once again showed that you can handle a situation sensibly without getting into trouble. There are not many people who would have been able to do that," replied Dumbledore.

"What will happen to them now, Professor?" asked Ginny.

"As Mr. Nott was the one to use the Killing Curse, he will be arrested and sent to Azkaban. Crabbe and Goyle will be serving detention for the rest of the term."

"Do you need us for anything else, Professor?" asked Harry.

"No, you can head back to the castle now. Have a good evening," replied Dumbledore.

Moments later, Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks arrived to deal with Nott. Dumbledore explained what had happened and after checking his wand they confirmed that he had cast the Killing Curse five times so placed him under arrest and removed him from the castle ground.

Dumbledore took Crabbe and Goyle back up to the castle and explained to Professor Snape what had happened and that the two of them would be spending all of their spare time in detention for the rest of the term.

Snape was so annoyed with the actions of the three students that he actually took points from his own house as additional punishment.

* * *

At breakfast the following morning Harry received a note from Professor Dumbledore that he would like to meet with him to discuss the summer holidays.

' _I guess we'll find out now what Professor Dumbledore is going to insist on,_ ' said Ginny after they read the note.

' _I guess so, well we will just have to listen, then if we don't like it we can tell him what we are going to allow,_ ' replied Harry.

' _It's not like he can force us, after all we are both Phoenixes so there is nothing that could stop us from leaving,_ ' replied Ginny as she slowly turned towards Harry to give him a long passionate kiss.

They kissed for several seconds before several loud coughs brought them back to reality.

After breakfast they slowly made their way up to Dumbledore's office. Ginny didn't care that she wasn't invited, she was not going to let Harry face this alone.

As they got to the Gargoyle it jumped out of the way allowing them to ascend the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter," said Dumbledore as they walked in.

"Good morning, Professor," they replied.

"Please, have a seat!"

"Thank you, Professor," replied Harry as they sat down.

"Mr. Potter, I have asked you to come here today so we can discuss your return to Privet drive for the summer."

"That's what we assumed, Professor," replied Harry without a hint of emotion on his face.

"You must understand that with the return of Voldemort it is even more critical that you stay safe during the summer. The blood wards that protect the house will stop Voldemort or his supporters from getting close to you. As long as you and your Aunt both see it as your home, the wards will remain."

' _That's it,_ ' said Harry.

' _What, I don't understand,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Dumbledore just said that as long as both of us see it as home. He doesn't know that we are classed as adults in the Wizarding Word, therefore if I declare another location as my home, that would cause the wards to collapse._ '

' _So, if you did it now, you would never have to return again,_ ' replied Ginny as she quickly realized what he was planning to do.

' _I think it is time that we told Dumbledore the full truth about us, don't you, my dear?_ ' replied Harry.

Dumbledore could tell that they were discussing something between themselves; he had to admit it was very frustrating not being able to listen in. Almost a minute later Harry suddenly turned to Dumbledore.

"Professor, I have a question?" stated Harry.

"I will be happy to answer any questions I can," replied Dumbledore.

"Sir, if I was to tell you that I had a much more secure location to stay in, would you allow us to stay there this summer?" asked Harry.

"I am sorry, Harry, but there is nowhere that is safer than your Aunt's house. Voldemort will not stop until he has found you, at least there, you will be protected," replied Dumbledore.

Without hesitation, Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and started bombarding the Professor with images of what Harry had to deal with when he grew up at the house. Almost twenty minutes later she finally stopped.

"YOU CALL THAT SAFE," screamed Ginny afterwards.

"I am so sorry to both of you, I never knew it was that bad," said a very distressed Dumbledore.

"Professor, Harry is not returning to Privet Drive. Not after everything that has happened to him there." Ginny stated very firmly.

"I must insist that Harry stay for at least two weeks, the protection is for his own good and if not recharged by his presence each year will get weaker," replied Dumbledore.

"I am not returning there, Professor," stated Harry.

Dumbledore was at a loss as to what he could do, he needed to keep track of Harry, and the only way to do that was to keep him at Privet drive.

"Harry, is there nothing I can do to convince you to return to Privet Drive?" asked Dumbledore in a last desperate plea.

"No, Professor, I have a new home now and will never return to Privet Drive. I have had to deal with abuse for far too long and you have done nothing to convince me to return. I will be staying at my new house this summer and ask you not to try and interfere," replied Harry.

As he finished saying this, one of Dumbledore's many trinkets suddenly started whirring and seconds later completely stopped.

Dumbledore looked over at the trinket but didn't really need to; he knew what that one monitored and knew without doubt what had just happened. However he was confused because it should not have been possible.

"Harry, what did you just do?" asked Dumbledore.

"I just declared that I have a new home, Professor," replied Harry.

"Yes, but that should not have done anything as you are not of age yet?" replied Dumbledore.

"Ah, that is where you are wrong, Professor. Ginny and I have both been classed as adults since we bonded. I am very surprised that you had not figured that out yet, to be honest," replied Harry.

Professor Dumbledore was shocked at the news. This was not what he had expected and would introduce a lot more issues than he wanted to deal with. How was he supposed to control Harry if he was an adult and could do whatever he wanted?

"Well, Harry, it seems that I have no choice now. The wards at Privet Drive have just collapsed," said Dumbledore quietly.

"I am sorry that it came to this, Professor. It would not have been an issue if you had not yet again attempt to force me to that place. Even after Ginny showed you what my life was like. I can promise you that we will be perfectly safe in our new home. I will even work with Xavier to add Phoenix Magic to the wards.

"Will you at least tell me where you will be?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry got up from his chair and started pacing the office, he was getting more and more frustrated with the continue interference of Dumbledore and decided enough was enough.

"Professor, you need to stop trying to control my life? Voldemort has returned and we need to work together to defeat him. We still don't know how he survived the original Killing Curse when my parents died. Our time would be better served by researching what he could have done and planning how to reverse it."

Professor Dumbledore sat there for several minutes considering the offer Harry had made.

"Harry, you are right. Thank you for the suggestion. I believe that it is the most logic course of action. I would like to invite both of you to join the Order of the Phoenix so that we can all work together," replied Dumbledore.

Harry looked over at Ginny for a moment before responding.

"Professor, we would be happy to join the Order, but under the condition that we get a say in any missions that are assigned. In addition there are six other people who will also be joining with us, they are all close trusted friends."

"Very well, Harry. We will make arrangements for you to attend the next meeting so that you can be introduced to the other members," replied Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Professor," replied Harry.

* * *

The next two weeks were taken with the end of year exams. The New Marauders spent most of their time relaxing, as they had done as much revision as they could and doubted that any more time with the books would really help them. To everyone's amazement even Hermione had stopped revising all the time. They put this down to the fact that she spent most of her free with Fred.

Katie Bell had recently started joining them as they studied. She had been seeing George for some time and while she had not been invited to join the full group, she had been encouraged to learn Occlumency. Harry had again transferred the knowledge she needed, and she spent most of her time practicing. Well that was what George told them when the two of them disappeared for hours on end.

Harry also agreed to teach Katie the fire Patronus as long as she agreed to keep it a secret. They knew that she would find out eventually if she kept seeing George, so it was better she knew and could defend herself.

The first exam was transfiguration. Harry had completed the entire exam in the first fifteen minutes and just sat there waiting for it to end. As he sat there doing nothing, Professor McGonagall approached to find out what he was doing.

"Mr. Potter, why are you not doing your exam?"

"I have finished already, Professor," he told her.

"Let me see your paper please," she asked.

He handed her the completed paper, she quickly reviewed it and saw that he had indeed completed the whole exam and answered every question correctly.

"First, well done, Mr. Potter, you have answered every question correctly. Unfortunately due to the exam rules I cannot allow you to leave early," she told him in a whisper.

"No problem, Professor," replied Harry.

As she walked back to her desk, she noticed that Hermione, Neville and Luna had also finished their exams. She quickly gathered up their papers and advised them that they would not be allowed to leave.

' _What the hell am I going to do for the next forty minutes, Ginny?_ ' said a frustrated Harry.

' _Well, I am sure I could find some things for you to do,_ ' said Ginny in a rather smug voice.

' _Don't you dare,_ ' said Harry when he realized what she was planning.

' _You spoil all my fun, Potter,_ ' she replied with a huff.

' _Just remember you have an exam next, Potter, and anything you do to me will be done back to you,_ ' replied Harry.

' _Oh, is that a challenge, Mr. Potter,_ ' said Ginny.

Harry just groaned as Ginny proceeded to make all sorts of risque suggestions. Towards the end of class, the suggestions had gotten so bad that Harry blushed every few minutes. To Harry's horror Professor McGonagall had noticed.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Potter?" she asked after the exam had ended.

"Yes, Professor," replied Harry as he rushed out of the hall.

' _I am going to get you for that young lady,_ ' said Harry as he rushed back to his room for a cold shower.

' _Promises, promises,_ ' Ginny replied in a sing-song voice.

Needless to say the game continued for each exam - most often resulting in them needing a cold shower before they could face anyone else. It had become a running joke between them to see who could embarrass the other the most, and they got extra joy out of it if someone noticed the other blush.

The rest of the term flew past after that, when the end of year results were published, it was no surprise to anyone when the New Marauders had topped every class. Fred, George and Katie had taken their OWLs so they wouldn't get their results until later in the summer. While Katie had not been working with the group as much as the twins, she was still a brilliant witch and had worked very hard.

As the term was coming to an end, instead of going for their morning run, the seven of them would instead transform into their Lion forms and would go for a run in the forest. Several times they had come across Hagrid walking in the forest and were careful to avoid him. None of the other animals would approach them. Even the magical creatures recognized them as the dominant animal in the forest and respected them. Thankfully, they had not yet come across the Centaurs. They were unsure how they would react - not that Harry or Ginny were too worried as that was one of their forms; it was however one they had not yet attempted.

* * *

Harry and Ginny had worked hard over the last six weeks on the new werewolf potion and were pleased to have finally completed it. The potion lasted at least six months and they had determined that one vial per day, for three days before the full moon was needed. They created twenty vials and then placed unbreakable charms on them.

They had already contacted Remus about the potion, and explained to him what they had discovered as well as what it should do. He was eager to try out the potion as the transformations were starting to take a toll on his body. They warned him that it had never been tested before so they could not yet guarantee what would happen.

He told them that he was willing to take the risk as anything would be better than the suffering he had to endure each month. They asked if there was anyone who could monitor him during the next full moon so they could see what happened. He had suggested Sirius Black because he used to transform each time, therefore knew what to expect if anything went wrong. Sirius had been happy to help his old friend, so they arranged for him to be there during the next transformation.

As they were cleaning up after bottling the potion, Professor Snape turned to Harry and Ginny.

"Well, I have to say that I am very impressed with the amount of work you have both put into creating this potion."

"We couldn't have done it without your help, Professor," replied Harry.

"It was a pleasure working with you, it is very rare for me to get a chance to work on a new potion," replied the Professor.

"I just hope that when Remus tests it everything works as we expect it too, at least he will have Sirius there to help should anything happen," Harry said.

"Yes, that was a very wise precaution to take," said Professor Snape.

"Thank you, Professor, we hope we can work with you again," Harry said as they finished cleaning up.

Once they had finished Harry sent three vials to Remus with Hedwig and took the rest back to the study and stored them in his trunk.

* * *

Finally, the end of year feast had arrived; the Great Hall was decorated in the Red and Gold of Gryffindor who had easily won the cup. Slytherin had never recovered from all the points that had been lost during the year by Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Nott because of their activities; they had just barely managed a positive balance.

Once the students had finished eating, Professor Dumbledore got up to address them all.

"Another year has ended, we have made new friends this year and dealt with our share of trials," he said.

"The Minister of Magic doesn't want me to tell you this, but you need to know and be prepared."

"Lord Voldemort has returned, due to the actions of some of his followers. I have seen the evidence and have no doubt about it. However, the Ministry has seen fit to create a new law banning people from telling others the truth. We face difficult times ahead and need to work together to once again defeat the Dark Lord. I warn you to be wary of what you are told. Don't just accept it at face value and always be certain of the facts, before facing any situation."

"I wish you all a fun summer and look forward to seeing most of you next year. To those who graduate this year, I congratulate you and wish you well in your future careers."

A loud cheer rang out around the hall as Professor Dumbledore finished and dismissed them. Everyone made their way out to the courtyard to bid farewell to the visitors.

"Harry, thank you again for everything this year," said Fleur.

"You're welcome, Fleur, I am certain we will see you again soon," said Harry as she blushed slightly.

"I have no doubt of that, Harry. Bill told me that you are going to be dealing with your Aunt and Uncle soon," she told him.

"Yes, I am glad that they are finally going to get what they deserve. At least I won't be near them. I am certain they are going to blame me, even though I won't be mentioned at all," he laughed.

They quickly hugged before she left.

"Harry, well done again for getting us all to work together for the final task," said Viktor.

"Viktor, it was a pleasure working with you. I do hope that we will see you again. I believe that we have a Quidditch match to play," laughed Harry.

"Yes I believe we do. I know Fleur is looking forward to it and Cedric hasn't stopped talking about it either," replied Viktor.

"Well, we will contact you over the summer and arrange a date when we can all get together. I know Fleur is due to move here soon," Harry said.

"Yes, I believe she starts work at Gringotts in two weeks," replied Viktor.

"Well, goodbye, Viktor," said Harry as he gave him a hug.

Once they had all gone, the New Marauders and Katie stood watching the boat and carriage leave as the sun was setting in the background.

"Wow it has been quite a year," said Hermione.

"Yes, it has," replied Fred.

"That it has been," said Harry.

"Well, I for one am very happy about certain events this year," said Ginny as she kissed Harry.

They all laughed.

"So Gin-Gin you finally got your man. I bet you were not expecting everything else that happened," said Fred as they started to walk back to the castle.

"If you would have told me in September that I would be dating Harry now, I would have laughed at you or hexed you for teasing me," replied Ginny.

"The fact that it is way beyond that, is simply amazing and wonderful. I wouldn't give it up for anything," she continued as Harry put his arm around her.

"And neither would I," Harry told them as he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

"Oi, get a room will you," said Fred.

"Okay," they both replied as they skipped away.

"Don't you dare do anything with our baby sister, Potter," shouted Fred after them.

Harry ran back up to Fred and whispered, "Why not Fred, she is my wife after all," and then ran away again laughing.

Fred just groaned and caught up with Hermione who was also laughing.

"You should remember not to tease them like that Fred. They are allowed to do what ever they want after all. They just chose not to," she told him before pulling him into a passionate kiss.

She then whispered "However, I didn't make any such promise." She then proceeded to run away, closely pursued by Fred who had a silly grin on his face.

* * *

The next morning the students quickly made their way down to the Hogwarts express. The members of the New Marauders and Katie Bell, all settled down into a compartment so they could relax.

' _Harry when are you going to tell everyone we are going to Potter Castle,_ ' asked Ginny once the train had left.

' _This evening after dinner, I would like to talk to your parents first and explain everything. I am also going to give them an open invitation to stay at the castle whenever they feel like it._ '

' _That sounds like a plan, I am just so glad that you dont ever have to go back to those relatives of yours,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Me to, Gin, me too._ '

As the train was heading through the rolling hills of the English countryside, Harry spotted a number of objects moving along side the train.

"Dementors," shouted Harry as the train suddenly started to brake.

As soon as the train stopped moving, the eight of them jumped off and leapt into action. Harry summoned Xavier and asked him to get a message to Dumbledore.

"Make sure the other students are safe," shouted Harry as he and Ginny headed towards the largest collection of Dementors. It appeared that a very large number of Dementors had been sent for this attack. Voldemort obviously wanted to make a statement and was most likely not expecting any resistance from students.

The others quickly split up. Neville and Luna jumped back on the train and got off the other side to check for any Dementors. Fred and Hermione raced to the back of the train and, George and Katie stayed where they were, taking on the Dementors nearest to them. Soon six fire Patronuses were seen around the train quickly dispatching the Dementors as they approached.

Realizing that they would need the Phoenix Patronus again, Harry and Ginny quickly dispatched their individual fire Patronuses towards two smaller groups, then they continued to run towards the largest group. As they got closer, they grabbed hands and cast the fire Phoenix directly at the group. The Dementors screams were terrible as they Phoenix started making it's way through them each one turning into ash as it was struck.

Harry and Ginny continued to watch as nine fire Patronuses destroyed all the Dementors close to the train. It seemed that whoever was leading the attack was not aware that the Dementors were actually being destroyed as they continued to send wave after wave against the train.

Ten minutes after the attack started, loud pops announced the arrival of the Order of the Phoenix. They quickly added their own Patronuses, and with a total of twenty fire Patronuses the attack on the train soon ended.

They later estimated that a total of over a thousand Dementors had been killed during the attack. Thankfully there was only one casualty on the train, the driver who had been kissed before anyone could help.

The Auror's finally arrived, and quickly checked the train to make sure there weren't any other casualties. Once they had completed the search, and got the statements they needed from the students, most of them left. Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt remained behind so they could stay on the train. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Mr. Weasley all stayed behind too while the other members of the Order returned to their business.

"Harry, once again it seems we need to thank you for your quick actions," stated Professor Dumbledore.

"There is nothing to thank me for, Sir, we acted because we needed to," said Harry.

"You're too modest sometimes, Harry, there is nothing wrong with accepting praise when it is due," replied Dumbledore.

"I know, Professor, but you know how much I hate the attention."

He just smiled at him and nodded. They quickly boarded the train and it continued on to Kings Cross. They all returned to the compartment which was then enlarged by Tonks so the adults could join them. They knew the train would be secure as they had setup monitoring devices.

The group talked for the rest of the journey. It soon became obvious to Harry and Ginny that something was going on with Tonks and Remus as they were sitting rather close to each other. Harry decided he would investigate this later.

News of the attack had reached the parents by the time the train arrived, and platform was crowded with worried parents. The adults quickly left the train and started re-assuring everyone that everything was okay.

The New Marauders said goodbye to each other once they departed from the platform, and were quickly off to find their parents.

Harry and Ginny waited on the train for a few extra minutes so they could finally kiss without everyone else around them.

' _Finally, I never thought we would get any time alone this trip,_ ' said Ginny as Harry pulled her into a very passionate kiss.

' _Neither did I, Gin,_ ' replied Harry.

' _So, Mr. Potter, what did you have planned for when we get to Potter Castle tonight?_ ' asked Ginny in a very seductive voice.

' _Sleep of course. What else would we do at night?_ ' asked Harry in a amazed voice.

' _Prat!_ ' replied Ginny as she pulled away from him and hit his chest.

' _Yes, but you love me anyway!_ ' replied Harry.

' _I am not so sure about that, Potter. If your idea of fun is sleeping, then maybe I made the wrong choice!_ ' replied Ginny however the large smile on her face ruined the effect that she wanted.

' _Well, Mrs. Potter, we could always wait until you are 17 before consummating our marriage,_ ' Harry replied before running out of the compartment.

' _Oh no you don't, Potter,_ ' replied Ginny as she chased him. They completely forgot their luggage and after chasing each other through the whole train, had to return to their carriage so they could get it.

Fifteen minutes after everyone else had left the train, the two of them finally appeared. Several of the older Weasleys gave them both strange looks but they just shrugged.

"Harry, it is good to see you again," said Mrs. Weasley as she pulled him into a rib cracking hug.

"It's good to see you too, Molly," replied Harry.

* * *

The ride home was rather boring until Harry decided to prank the twins. He silently cast a shrinking charm on their underwear when the car was just outside London. Ginny had to bite her hand to stop from laughing when she realized what Harry had done.

About ten minutes later, Fred started to get very uncomfortable and was fidgeting so much that Bill finally had enough.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you Fred," shouted Bill as he pushed Fred towards George.

"Watch your language, William," came the voice of Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry, Mum," replied Bill.

He turned back to Fred and asked "Well?"

"Nothing is wrong, I was just uncomfortable," replied Fred as he picked himself up.

"Did you put the wrong size underwear on or something?" asked Harry with a smirk.

At this Ginny could no longer contain herself and burst out laughing. Both Fred and George immediately turned on her.

"What did you do?" asked Fred.

"N-n-n-ot-hing," she gasped through fits of giggles.

"Right, you did nothing!" stated George.

"Actually, I didn't do anything," replied Ginny who had calmed down a little.

They both then turned to Harry, who was still sitting in the corner trying very hard not to laugh. But once he saw the pained expressions on their faces, he couldn't stop himself and also burst into fits of laughter.

"Potter, we know it was you!" started Fred.

By this time everyone in the car had realized that someone had pranked the twins. They were all laughing now. In fact, they almost had an accident because Arthur was laughing so hard.

"I don't know what you are talking about," said Harry but again his face betrayed his words.

"Potter, remove this now or we are going to declare a prank war on your for the rest of the summer," stated George.

Harry looked up in glee and then without taking his eyes off Ginny calmly said, "If you can prove without a doubt that it was me, then I look forward to it."

Several minutes later, when everyone had finally settled down again, Harry silently removed the charm from their underwear, much to their relief.

The rest of the journey was uneventful for the most part. Harry and Ginny spent most of the time in their minds planning out what they were going to tell her parents that evening. They wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly; they didn't want to play the we are married card unless they really needed to.

 _A/N: Well we are drawing to the end of this story. The next Chapter will be the final one in The Bonded Heir._

 _Fred, George and Katie are a year younger than Canon in this story. I realized after writing it and don't want to change it as it is important to the future of the story._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

After many hours they finally arrived home, quickly unloaded the car, and dragged their things into the house. Harry had shrunk Ginny and his trunks before leaving the train so they didn't have to worry about luggage.

Molly told them that dinner would be served in a couple of hours; meanwhile they were free to do whatever they wanted. Harry and Ginny quickly left the house; they headed to the pond hidden in the woods.

"So, Harry, what can we do for the next two hours?" asked Ginny as she winked suggestively at him before running away.

"Mrs. Potter, I do believe that you are trying to seduce me," replied Harry as he gave chase. When he finally caught up to her he grabbed her around the waist and kissing her very soundly.

' _It appears to be working_ ' responded Ginny as she deepened the kiss.

' _Yes it does._ '

When they finally came back up for air, they found a quiet spot near the water. Harry sat down and pulled Ginny into his lap so they could continue kissing.

It wasn't long before they were getting a little adventurous as Harry's hand slowly made its way inside her t-shirt. He was a little hesitant at first as they had not gone this far before. Once he sensed that Ginny was perfect happy with what Harry was doing, he slowly moved his hand up to her right bra covered breast. Harry gently held her breast in his hand as they continued to kiss further.

' _Hmm, Harry, that feels so good,_ ' said Ginny.

Taking this as further encouragement, Harry slowly caressed her breast, this elicited an even stronger reaction from Ginny.

' _Oh, Harry,_ ' said Ginny as the emotions continued to wash over her.

It warmed Harry heart to realize that such a simple action could have such an affect on her. A few minutes later, Harry moved to her left breast and repeated what he had been doing.

They continued to kiss enjoying the new closeness they had discovered in this simple act. They didn't go any further with the exploring but were happy with the progress they had made.

Over an hour later, the two of them returned to the Burrow still enjoying the new feelings that they had experienced that afternoon.

They didn't realize that someone else had witnessed their time together.

* * *

Dinner was a noisy affair, which was hardly surprising as all the Weasleys had been invited. Molly was in her element; she loved having her family around her and cooking the largest meal Harry had even seen short of those at Hogwarts.

The conversations during dinner revolved around what had happened towards the end of the year. Harry tried to avoid talking about it but didn't really have much choice.

"Thank you, Molly, this was a delicious meal as usual," said Harry when he had finished.

"You're welcome, Harry," replied Molly.

"I am just glad that you are all home for once. It has been so long since the Burrow has been so full," continued Molly.

Harry felt slightly guilty at the announcement they were going to make later because he knew that Molly would be upset. He just hoped that the open invitation to visit would make things easier for Arthur and Molly to accept. Ginny picked up on what he was feeling and reassured him that it was the correct decision and that she had not doubts about it.

Harry and Ginny helped Molly clean up after dinner; the rest of the family disappeared into the sitting room so they could relax.

"So, Harry, I am sure that you are happy to finally be away from your relatives?" asked Molly as they washed the dishes.

"Yes, Molly. Mind you, Professor Dumbledore didn't make it easy for us," replied Harry.

"I can imagine he didn't, he doesn't like not having control over a situation."

"I just wish that he would let me make some decisions about my future. I already know the prophecy; it is not like I am going to run off and face Voldemort tomorrow," replied Harry.

Molly was slightly shocked that Harry had used Voldemort's real name, but decided that it wasn't an issue.

"Don't you mean, it's not like Ginny will let you run off and face him," Molly replied before laughing.

Ginny dropped the plate she was drying at that comment because she was laughing so hard.

"Oh, so funny," replied Harry as he wandless repaired the dish to the shock of Molly.

"How did you do that, Harry?" asked Molly.

Harry hadn't realized he had done it. Feeling slightly uneasy, he realized that he would have to explain to Molly that they could do wandless magic. Harry quickly called Arthur into the room so that they could explain to both of them. He then placed several privacy charms around the room.

"We haven't told anyone else what we are about to tell you. We both fully trust you, but need to ask that you don't share this with anyone else as it could cause problems," Harry said.

"Of course, Harry, anything you tell us will always be in strictest confidence," replied Arthur.

"Thank you," replied Harry as he looked around nervously. Ginny took his right hand into hers and started to caress his knuckles. She was also giving him strength through the bond to reassure him it was the correct thing to do.

Harry then went on to explain that both of them could do wordless and wandless magic, and practiced regularly when they were alone. The magic was not as strong as when they used their wands, but it was getting stronger.

Arthur and Molly had a number of questions for them. They answered them all honestly and without reservation as they didnt want to hide anything from them.

' _Harry, since we have them alone, we should tell them about Potter Castle,_ ' Ginny said after they had finishing answering their questions.

"There is something else that we need to talk about. We were going to wait until later, but now is the perfect opportunity," Harry stated.

They both looked up and waited for Harry to continue.

"As you know I now own Potter Castle. Since I no longer have to return to the Dursleys, we have decided to move to there. It is more secure than Hogwarts, and Xavier is going help Ginny and I add Phoenix magic to the wards which will make even more secure," explained Harry.

Harry went on to discuss all the benefits of moving to the castle and the facilities that would be available for them to learn and continue their training.

Arthur and Molly had a long whispered conversation before responding.

"Thank you for telling us Harry, we understand why you would want to move. However, we have to be honest with you; we are not comfortable with you two being alone together for so long. We know you made a promise, but it will be much harder to keep with no one else around," explained Arthur.

"That won't be a problem, Arthur; we would like to give you an open invitation to visit whenever you like. You are welcome to stay for as long as you wish. In addition, we are going to invite Hermione, Luna, Neville and the twins to join us and continue the training that we have been doing since Christmas," replied Harry.

"Well, that is very generous of you, Harry, but we would still prefer it if there were adults with you all the time. We will be happy to visit, but cannot leave the house unattended for too long," replied Arthur.

"We are also going to invite Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to move to the castle. Ginny and I have been working on a potion that should stop his transformations, so it is the perfect opportunity for us to test it and get additional training from them," replied Harry.

Arthur and Molly looked at each other again and realized that they had fully planned out what they wanted to do, and therefore were happy for them.

"Well, it is obvious that you have put a great deal of thought into this; therefore, we are happy to give our blessing. When will you be leaving?" asked Molly.

"We are going to leave this evening; we would like a couple of days to ourselves before the others arrive. We promise that we will not do anything that would cause us to break the promise," Harry told Molly as he got up and approached her.

"Well, I wish you could stay a little longer, but will not stop you," Molly said as she pulled Harry into a hug.

"I am so proud of both of you. Again you have shown that you are capable of making mature, sensible decisions," Molly stated.

"Thank you, Molly," replied Harry.

They continued to talk for a while longer discussing when Arthur and Molly would visit them at the castle, and making sure that Sirius and Remus were at the castle before the others were invited. Harry was happy to agree to the conditions, and promised to wait until after their first visit before inviting the others.

* * *

After dinner, Harry and Ginny went off to find the twins who had disappeared as soon as dinner finished. They found them in their room, plotting something. They quickly discovered that the twins were making plans for some new pranks for next year at school, and wanted to ensure that they had plenty of time to brew anything they needed.

"We have a fully functional Potions lab at Potter Castle," said Harry after they finished explaining what they were doing.

"Really? Well that would be useful," replied Fred whose face lit up as though Christmas had come early.

"Yes, and we were looking for you so that we could invite you to stay at the castle this summer," Harry told them.

"Ginny and I are moving in this evening. We have spoken to your parents and they are happy for you to stay," continued Harry.

"Wow, that is cool guys. When can we come?" asked George.

"In a few days. We have to talk to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to ensure that they can come to the castle first," explained Harry.

"Okay, well we would be happy to come," replied George again.

"Great, we are going to invite the rest of the New Marauders so that we can continue to train." Then Harry laughed. We can also help work on the pranks and have some fun. And just for incentive, we have a full Quidditch Pitch and a large swimming pool."

They twins had the biggest smiles on their faces as Harry and Ginny continued to tell them about the castle, and what facilities were available.

They continued to talk for a while about their summer plans, and began a schedule that they would try to keep each day. The twins didn't want to wake quite so early during the summer.

* * *

They soon returned to the living room to talk to Bill, Charlie and Percy. Arthur and Molly had asked Harry and Ginny to talk to them so that there was no confusion about what was happening.

They walked into the room and settled down on the large couch opposite the fire. Once the others got comfortable they started to explain what was happening.

"Guys, we have spoken to your parents already and wanted to explain what is happening. As you know I no longer have to stay with the Dursleys. That was made possible because I now have a new home. We have decided that that we are going to move in tonight. We have extended an open invitation to your parents to visit whenever they like," Harry told them.

"That offer is open to the three of you also. If there is anyone you would like to bring with you, we will need to talk to them first. However, if they are someone you trust, then we doubt that there would be any problems."

"Well, thank you, Harry," Bill said. "As I told you recently, I trust you with Ginny, therefore don't have a problem with this. I think you know who I would want to bring with me when I come; so I am sure you won't have a problem with that?"

"No, Bill, Fleur will be welcome at any time. The twins will be moving in at some point soon too," Harry said with a smirk.

"We also wanted to let you know that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin will be invited to live with us. Sirius has already offered to train us"

Harry never got to finish that sentence as a cutting curse hit him in the back of the neck just missing his spinal cord. The reaction to the attack was instant. Ginny quickly erected a golden shield around them which absorbed several more curses. At the same instant, Xavier, and to everyone's surprise, Fawkes, flashed into the room. Ginny was quickly laying Harry down on the couch so that they could get to the back of his neck. The blood was spurting everywhere, and it was obvious that Harry was going to die soon if they didn't stop it.

Fawkes and Xavier landed on the top of the couch above Harry, and started dropping tears into the wound. Ginny was trying desperately to stem the flow of blood which was quickly washing away the tears that Xavier and Fawkes were attempting to heal Harry with.

' _Ginny, you are going to have to transform and help us,_ ' explained Xavier.

Ginny didn't hesitate, and soon the three Phoenixes were crying into the wound and finally the blood started to slow down. Almost five minutes later the wound was fully healed, however, Harry had lost a large amount of blood.

' _Xavier, has Harry lost too much blood?_ ' asked Ginny desperately.

' _No, Ginny, he was close, but he will survive._ '

' _Oh, thank Merlin, I cannot believe this has happened again,_ ' replied Ginny.

As soon as the shield had appeared, Molly had sent a message to Professor Dumbledore explaining that Harry had been attacked. Madam Pomfrey arrived a couple of minutes later with her medical kit.

"Ginny, you will need to lower the shield so that Madam Pomfrey can check Harry," said Molly.

"Where is Ron?" asked Ginny in an angry voice.

"He is being dealt with, Ginny. He is out of the way and will not be able to interfere any more," replied Molly.

"Okay, but I am warning all of you, if anything else happens, we will not be responsible for the consequences," replied Ginny.

Ginny lowered the shield and allowed the others to approach. Madam Pomfrey immediately started checking Harry, and confirmed that the wound had fully healed. She explained that the curse had hit his main artery and therefore the blood was flowing very quickly. That was why it took longer for the Phoenixes to heal him as the tears were being pushed away by the blood.

Harry was still unconscious and Madam Pomfrey explained that until his blood was fully restored he may stay that way. They didn't want to force him to wake up, as that could cause problems too. Blood Replenishment Potion would need to be administered every four hours for the next three days.

Meanwhile, Molly had pulled Ginny into a hug and was comforting her. Now that Harry had been healed the adrenalin had worn off and the impact of what had happened finally hit her. She sobbed silently into Molly's chest.

"So much for having a few days to ourselves," said Ginny.

"Ginny, given the circumstances, I believe it would be best if I come with you to help care for Harry," replied Molly.

"Are you sure, Mum," replied Ginny.

"Of course, it is the least we can do," replied Molly.

"Thank you, Mum. I am not sure what we would do without your help," replied Ginny. Molly hugged her again and reassured her that she would never have to worry about getting help.

"Madam Pomfrey, thank you for your help. We are going to move Harry to a new location, unfortunately only Harry can give you access to the location or even tell you about it. We will be sure to contact you should anything happen," explained Ginny.

* * *

Just after the curse hit Harry, Bill had jumped out of his seat and immediately starting firing Stunners into the corner that the curse had come from. It didnt take long for a curse to take out the attacker who fell to the ground with a thud.

Bill quickly rushed into the corner and dragged Ron back into the room; he was quickly bound to a chair and left stunned.

Bill stood guard over Ron, while the others watched on as the Phoenixes healed Harry. All the others were shocked when Ginny transformed into a Phoenix and started healing Harry too, but didn't say anything.

* * *

After Madam Pomfrey had left Ginny just sat in shock on the couch holding Harrys head in her lap. She didnt talk to anyone else. Harry wasnt even responding in the bond at the moment, which was scaring Ginny. She knew that he was still there but wished that he would come back.

' _Harry, are you okay?_ ' asked Ginny in the bond.

Just as Harry had when she was unconscious Ginny started pouring all her love for Harry into the bond. Xavier was also singing directly into the bond which was strengthening the love that Ginny had.

After twenty minutes Ginny was starting to get very worried.

' _Xavier, is Harry going to be okay?_ ' asked Ginny.

' _Yes, Ginny, he will be okay, eventually. The more love he feels coming from you, the faster it will be. I know you are scared but just keep going,_ ' replied Xavier.

' _Thank you._ '

Ginny continued to pour her love into the bond. Suddenly Fawkes song joined them in the bond and further increased the strength of Ginnys love. It was this addition that finally broke through to Harry.

' _Harry?_ ' asked Ginny.

' _Yes, what happened?_ ' asked Harry. He was still very confused and didn't understand why he was unconscious.

' _Ron attacked you; the cutting curse hit you in the back of the neck,_ ' replied Ginny.

' _Well, that explains why it hurts so much, why can't I wake up fully?_ ' asked Harry a little worried.

' _You lost a large amount of blood, Harry, it took Xavier, Fawkes and I to fully heal the wound. You will need to take Blood Replenishment Potion for three days,_ ' explained Ginny.

' _Oh,_ ' replied Harry.

' _We are going to move you to Potter Castle soon to complete the recovery. Mum has offered to come with us and help care for you._ '

' _Thank you,_ ' replied Harry.

Harry and Ginny shared a kiss in the bond; it wasn't the same but was all they could do at the moment.

Ginny quickly explained to the others that Harry was going to be okay and that he was responding via the bond. She also told them that they would be leaving for Potter Castle shortly.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Professor Dumbledore, Arthur and Bill were trying to decide what to do about Ron. The nature of the attack was serious enough that he could be sent to Azkaban if charges were brought against him. They just hoped that Harry and Ginny did not do that.

"Well, I for one believe that he has not met the conditions you set earlier this year, Albus," said Arthur.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with you, Arthur," replied Dumbledore.

"Well, it looks like you are going to have two Weasley's in the fourth year, Albus," Arthur said with sadness. Arthur was starting to realize the impact of what had happened. There would almost certainly be questions about this when Ron returned to school and was still a fourth year.

"Actually, Arthur, there will only be one. Ginny's scores were so far off the charts that we are going to offer her a placement in the fifth year," Dumbledore explained and he looked up at Arthur's sad face.

"I am sure that she will be pleased with that," replied Arthur. It was a little comforting for him to realize that Ginny was doing well, but didn't compensate fully for Ron's actions.

"It would be wrong for us not too, really," replied Dumbledore. "After all, she shares knowledge with Harry. In addition we have determined that both could do their NEWTs next week in most subjects and pass without even trying. However, we don't want them to grow up so quickly, so are just going to let them continue with OWLs next year."

"Well, after the night they have had, I believe that this will be welcome news," replied Arthur.

"I agree, Arthur. We _were_ going to wait until the letters, but I will talk to Ginny once we have decided if there should be anything else done with Ronald here." Dumbledore said as he waited for a decision.

"Don't worry about Ronald; we are going to have a family meeting to decide what will happen to him. We only need to speak to Ginny, to determine if they would like to press charges." Arthur got up from the table and indicated to Dumbledore that they should go and find Ginny. They both walked out of the Kitchen leaving the brothers alone.

"Ginny, how is Harry?" asked Arthur.

"He is healed, but still has a way to go before he will be fully better," explained Ginny.

"Mum told me that she is going to join you to help care for Harry until he wakes up. I am so sorry that you have to deal with this type of thing again," Arthur said as he approached Ginny and softly kissed her cheek.

"Yes, Mum is going to join us. It should only be for a couple of days; you are free to join us at any time."

"Well, given the situation, I think my time will be spent here for now. We would like to talk to you about what, if anything, you would like to do. We also have some news for you," replied Arthur.

Professor Dumbledore sat down next to Ginny and started to speak. "Ginny, I am pleased to tell you that based on your results from your tests, the teachers have decided to move you forward a year.

"Therefore starting in September you will now be in fifth year with Harry."

Ginny jumped out of her seat and to everyone's amazement pulled Professor Dumbledore into a hug. She suddenly realized what she had done and looked a little embarrassed but didn't care, especially when she saw the twinkle return to Dumbledore's eyes.

Stepping back she finally responded, "Thank you, Sir. That is very welcome news. I am sure you are aware with the shared minds that I was completely bored in the classes."

"Yes, Ginny, it had come to our attention," replied Dumbledore with a laugh.

"What is going to happen to Ron?" she asked.

"That is up to you, Ginny," replied Arthur.

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny looking confused.

"Due to the nature of the attack you could press for charges to be brought against Ron. If that is the case, then it would have to go to court to be decided. Whatever you decide I will tell you now that we have decided to hold Ron back. So starting in September he will again be in his fourth year," explained Dumbledore.

Neither Harry or Ginny wanted to go that far. They may not have liked what Ron did, but felt that it would cause even more problems for the family if this was dragged through the courts.

"Professor, we would like to keep this within the family. If we were to press charges it would cause a lot of unnecessary press coverage because of who Harry is. In addition, it could cause information about our bond to come out. Therefore we are not going to do anything other than to continue avoid Ron at all costs. We had already advised my parents that we would be moving to a new location tonight, and this just reinforces our decision."

"I think that is a very wise choice for you to make. I will leave this matter for you to deal with, Arthur," Dumbledore said as he stood up to leave.

"Thank you for coming, Albus," replied Arthur as he showed him to the door.

* * *

The family gathered in the kitchen so they could deal with Ron. Ginny had decide it would be better for her not to be there, as she was still too angry to guarantee that she wouldn't do anything.

Arthur revived Ron whilst he was still bound to the chair. They were not going to leave anything to chance when they dealt with him.

"ROLAND BILIUS WEASLEY," screamed Molly as soon as he opened his eyes.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK HARRY, I AM COMPLETELY ASHAMED OF YOU," continued Molly as she paced the kitchen.

"He deserved it," Ron attempted to say but didn't get any further because someone silenced him.

"RONALD, YOU WILL LISTEN AND NOT TALK," screamed Molly again a fury had increased.

"HARRY WAS AN INVITED GUEST IN OUR HOUSE AND YOU ATTACKED HIM. YOUR SISTER IS DEVASTATED. YOU ARE VERY LUCKY THAT THEY DECIDED NOT TO PRESS CHARGES, OTHERWISE YOU WOULD BE IN A LOT MORE TROUBLE THEN YOU ARE CURRENTLY."

Molly walked over to Ron and stood directly in front of him. She slowly lowered herself down so that she was looking directly in his eyes.

With a calm but serious voice she continued to speak, "As punishment for what you have done you are grounded until September. In addition, Professor Dumbledore, with our consent, has decided that you will not be allowed to move into your fifth year when you return to Hogwarts. You were given the opportunity earlier this year to redeem yourself, but again, you have chosen not to take it.

"Now, we are only going to tell you this once, so make sure you are listening carefully. We all fully support your sister and Harry. Therefore, you have absolutely no right to go against our decisions. You will assure all involved that you conduct yourself properly around them, from now on. If you don't, then we will break your wand and remove you from Hogwarts permanently."

Molly left Ron to consider what she had said.

The other brothers all added their own comments regarding Ron's actions, and made it very clear that if he did anything like it again, then brother or not, they would deal with him.

* * *

Ginny and Molly made the final arrangements to transport Harry to Potter Castle. Xavier would flash Harry directly to the master suite. Ginny would follow just afterwards with Molly.

Once they had confirmed that everything was ready, Xavier disappeared with Harry. Ginny quickly said goodbye to her brothers and father before transforming and taking Molly to Potter Castle.

THE END

 _A/N: Well guys here is the end of Harry's fourth year, I hope that you have enjoyed the adventure so far._

 _For those who are wondering, normally Harry would have detected Ron nearby, however he was in what he thought was a safe environment so had relaxed a little. He won't be making that mistake again. Additional Xavier didn't stop the curse because it wasn't the killing curse and they will only intervene then, plus I needed the attack for the next story :)_

 _While I went into some detail during the intimate scene between Harry and Ginny, I want to reassure readers that I will not be doing that every time they have an intimate moment. I wanted to show that Harry and Ginny were progressing in there relationship but were being cautious and taking their time. Also before anyone asks, Harry and Ginny do understand what the new feelings are. And yes, it will make it harder for them to continue to resist the urge to go further, but we will see how that develops in the next story._

 _Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I may not have responded to all of them but I did read them._


End file.
